


I'll Axel And You'll Salchow

by FatyGSquare



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Crack, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Parent Trap AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:41:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22272754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FatyGSquare/pseuds/FatyGSquare
Summary: Daniel Fernandez did not expect this when he signed up for summer camp.Kaito Hanyu did not travel across the world for this.Really, this is all Javier and Yuzuru's fault.
Relationships: Javier Fernández/Original Female Character(s), Javier Fernández/Yuzuru Hanyu
Comments: 106
Kudos: 227





	1. The Summer Camp

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello hello!! New fic!!! This one is based on 'The Parent Trap', the 1998 version. I hope you guys like it and as always, English is not my first language, so please excuse any and all mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy!

Daniel Fernández hops off the bus, looking around for his bag. It had been a long bus ride from Madrid to this teeny French town, but it’ll be worth it, he knows it. At nine years old, Dani is just one year away from being allowed to compete and he wants to be just as good as his _papá_. Most people always wonder why he looks like he does, but all he knows is that his other father, the one he’s never met before, is Japanese and he looks just like him. _'Except for the curls'_ , his aunt would say, _'and those Fernández lashes'_.

“Aha!” there, his bag. Or not, when it ends up buried under five more bags.

“You must be new.” He looks up to see a boy about his age, but taller, blonde hair and blue eyes. “You didn’t know to take your bag before the gorillas throw it in the pile. I’m Alexei, let me help you.”

“Daniel, and thanks.” Daniel is very glad his father had insisted so much on perfecting his English. “It’s the big sky blue one.”

They start pulling, to no avail. On the other side of the pile, a boy bigger than both of them lifts his bag with no problems. Dani and Alexei gape, and immediately call the boy over to help.

“The blue one? Sure, no problem” He grabs the handle and pulls it out, handing to Dani. “I’m Nicco.”

“Nice to meet you, Nicco” Dani shakes his hand. “This is Alexei and I’m-“

“Daniel Fernández?” the boy turns toward the voice and answers a loud ‘ _here_ ’. “Room 204”

“Hey, that’s mine too!” Nicco high-fives Dani and they look to Alexei.

“I have Room 203, so I’ll hang out with you two”

They all make their way to the entrance of the hotel and move out of the way when a car honks. It’s a fancy and shiny black sedan, with tinted windows.

“Who’s in there?” Dani wonders. But who cares? It’s the first day of summer camp and he already has friends, even better, he’s rooming with one of them. He can’t wait to tell his dad.

***

The car stops by the front entrance of the hotel and a middle-age Japanese woman exits, followed by a young Japanese boy. Kaito Hanyu looks around, taking in his surroundings with excitement bubbling in his stomach. It had taken him weeks to convince _tousan_ to let him come all the way here, but Kaito is ready to start competing next year and he wants more experience. People often wonder where he got those curls, not from his _tousan_ , certainly. All _tousan_ has ever told him is that they are his father’s. He turns to see his aunt analyzing the place with a skeptical look on her face.

“We came all the way from Sendai for this?”

“I think it’s great”

“Kai-chan, your father’s summer camp would’ve been just as great.”

“But that’s only for the local kids and I want to see more. Meet more people my age who I’ll compete against.”

Saya shakes her head and bites her tongue. He’s so much like his father. Like both of them.

“Very well, then. Here, let’s check your father’s list, shall we?” Kaito looks at her expectantly and nods. “Vitamins?” nod. “Fruits and vegetables?” he nods twice. “Phone?” nod. “Charger?” nod. “Photos of tousan, obachan, Usa-chan and your beloved and super cool aunt, me?”

“All check, obasan.”

“Okay” she’s tearing up a little, Kaito notices, and hugs her tight when she opens her arms. “Remember, if you change your mind and want me to come pick you up, I’m just a phone call away”

“Don’t worry, obasan, I’ll be fine.”

“I miss you already, darling boy.”

“Miss you too.”

Saya holds out her hand and they do their Super Special and Only Ours handshake. She kisses his cheek and gets in the car, waving one last time before it drives off. Kaito heaves a sigh and looks around. Yeah, this will be great.

***

It’s the third day of camp and Dani is more than excited to start the next session. Today, they will be practicing Axels. Not to brag or anything, but Daniel has a pretty impressive double Axel, and he’s landed the triple a couple of times – without his papa’s knowledge, of course. One by one, they all enter the rink and look to the ice, where a man is already giving out instructions for a great Axel and doing some demonstrations. The older skaters go first, demonstrating their triple for the younger ones, who clap enthusiastically, eyes bright and attentive.

“Alright, pre-comp bunch!” the instructor calls to Dani and his group. “What do you say we see where you’re at with your Axel?”

He can hear some of the boys around him gulping, looking at the ice hesitantly. He holds his head up high and walks to the door, takes off his guards and gets on the ice. He can hear other blades beside his own, and he looks back to see Alexei and Nicco following him. He lets the other two go first, feeling confident and a little smug about his abilities. Alexei does a pretty decent double Axel, a little wobbly on the landing but he holds it; Nicco lands with both feet and stomps his foot on the ice. The instructor comes closer to him and pats his shoulder, smiling and telling him he’ll get there.

It’s his turn and he starts skating around the rink. He loves this jump, doesn’t really know why he loves it so much, but he does. His father says it runs in his blood. He goes around the rink three times, just like he does back home, before he launches into it. It’s big and beautiful and he wishes his dad were here to see it. He lands it. Dani can hear the others murmuring and they clap for him.

“That was amazing!” the instructor sounds surprise and, honestly, so is Daniel. Because it is so much better than it usually is at home and there are people watching him too. “I think we have someone to beat now. Anybody?”

Dani stays close to the instructor, he asks him a couple of questions about the Axel, when had he learned it, if he’s ever tried the triple. On the back of the group, someone comments how it must be because of his father. Daniel snorts, nothing further from the truth.

“I’ll try” a small voice calls and a kid no older than Dani steps on the ice. He goes around the rink a couple of times and- no way. Daniel gapes because there is no way that kid had just landed a triple Axel like it’s nothing. The instructor is gaping as well, mouth hanging wide open and he looks a bit ridiculous. Daniel turns to his friends, mouthing ‘who’s that’ to them. They shrug their shoulders and shake their heads, clearly telling him they have no idea.

“Well, seems like we have a new best Axel.” The instructor says and Daniel fumes. “That was amazing, Kaito. I think you and Daniel should work together.”

Daniel turns and so does this Kaito kid. He stares, thinking he might have some brain damage from that nasty fall yesterday because all he sees is himself. There is a doppelganger of him right there.

“Oh my God” the instructor drops the folder he was holding and both kids look at him. The rest of the group comes closer as well, whispering and looking at them with wide eyes that make Daniel feel uncomfortable. He squirms.

“What is everyone looking at?” he asks and Kaito looks at him intently, the same look he gives his father when he says something Dani doesn’t quite understand.

“Don’t you see it?”

“See what?”

“The resemblance!”

“Resemblance?” Kaito nods. “Between us?” another nod. “Hmmm… let me see. Turn to the side.” Kaito does and Dani starts tapping a finger on his chin. “The other side” the Japanese rolls his eyes but does as he’s asked. “Hmmm… your eyes are smaller than mine, your ears are bigger but don’t worry your cauliflower hair covers them. And that nose! Oh well, there’s nothing a good surgeon can’t fix. You wanna know the difference between us?”

“Let me think.” Kaito takes a step closer. “I have class and you don’t? Or I can jump a triple Axel and you can’t? Take your pick”

“Why you-“

“Okay, okay. Let’s end the lovesfest now, alright? Kaito.” The instructor says to Dani and he glares at the man. “Daniel” he receives the exact same glare from the Japanese. “I mean, Dani, Kaito I- uggh!”


	2. We’re Twins!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘This is war!’ they both think.
> 
> The punishment leads to discovering what was obvious from the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi hello!! New chapter is here! I wrote this one on my phone, so there might be more typos. I’ll try to check everything this afternoon.
> 
> Enjoy!!

It is the end of the first week of camp and Kaito is having some fun playing videogames with a bunch of kids. And by playing, he means destroying them. He takes the candy on the table for himself when he beats yet another kid.

“Thank you.” He says, pocketing the candy and looking around. “Anyone else?”

“I’ll try.” A voice answers from the entrance and everyone turns to see Daniel there, with a big bag of candy swaying from side to side in his hand.

He takes a sit next to Kaito, with as much space between them as they can. They each take a controller and start playing. When they reach the final round, Kaito pauses the game.

“Let’s make it interesting.” He says. “Whoever loses has to go to the pool outside and take a swim right now.”

“Sounds good.” Daniel says.

“Butt naked.” Kaito adds with a smirk.

“Even better.” Daniel smirks too. “Ready?”

They start the last round and Kaito cries out when Daniel wins, glaring at him. All of the Spaniards friends start cheering, while the Japanese and his bunch lament. Dani stands and points to the door, following after Kaito when he exits towards the pool. It’s dark outside and Kaito is a little frightened, but he turns to look at Daniel and wants nothing more than to smack the smirk off his face. He takes his clothes off and cannonballs into the pool swimming to the other side and back. His eyes widen when he gets out of the pool and sees they have taken all of his clothes.

“Ugh, you’re going to pay for this, Fernandez!”

***  
  


Daniel and his friends are making their way back to their rooms after a great but tiring practice. He wants nothing more than to shower and fall on the bed, face first. Nicco opens the door and stops dead in his tracks, making Daniel bump onto him.

“Nicco, come on!” he whines. “I wanna shower and then sleep for a year.”

“Good luck with that.” He says and moves out of the way. “Look.”

Daniel walks in and stomps his foot when he sees their mattresses are missing, as are all the pillows and cushions. Their sheets are all over the floor and they look like someone stepped all over them. Then he notices the flag taped to the headboard, bright white with a red circle.

“Ugh, Hanyu!” he screams. This calls for revenge.

  
***  


And revenge is what they get. Dani, Nicco and Alexei are walking through the corridors as quietly as they can, wincing whenever the bags they carry make too much noise. They arrive to their destination and open the door carefully, check to see if everyone is asleep and get to work. Daniel takes his time covering Kaito’s hair with the whipped cream and adds a mustache because he can. He then starts setting the big balloon full of dirty water on the string and lifts it until he is sure it is out of view. They cover the floor in honey as they exit the room and stop by the door to admire the masterpiece they have just created.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow morning.” Daniel whispers to Nicco when they arrive at their room and both giggle before going to bed. 

***  
  


Kaito wakes up with a smile on his face. He’s halfway through the camp, making great progress and making great friends. He stretches his arms, or tries, because his arms are all sticky and gluing to the sheets. He sits up, hearing a disgusting ‘blob’ noise from behind him and carefully brings his hands to his hair.

He screams when he touches what seems like whipped cream, waking up Mathieu who also screams when he feels the jam poured all over his body. Kaito gets out of bed and halts when his feet touch something gooey instead of cool wood. He looks down and sees the honey, and screams again.

“Fernandez!” he screams in a panic, his arms flailing as he tries to maintain the balance on the slippery floor.

He can hear the laughing from the other side of the door, and he growls.

Outside the room, Dani, Nicco and Alexei are having a great time hearing Kaito and his roommate struggle. Daniel laughs harder when he hears the Japanese scream his name.

“Good morning, boys!” a voice greets them and they turn.

“Morning, Misha” they greet back, not really paying him much attention. Until he makes his way closer to them. “Misha?!”

“Room inspection!” the coach screams. “Everyone ready!”

He walks towards Kaito’s room, and Daniel stands in front of the door so he can’t walk in.

“Dani, move aside please.” Misha tells him.

“You can’t go in there!” the boy says, looking frantic. “You see, one of them got sick last night and the entire room is a mess. I mean, puke everywhere and all that.”

“All the more reason for me to check on them.” Misha pushes Dani to the side gently and opens the door, gaping when he sees the two boys inside trying to get rid of all the whipped cream, jelly and jam. “What is going on here?!”

He takes a step in, and slips on the honey-covered floor, gliding to the end of the room, before a giant balloon falls on top of his head and wets him from head to toe. Misha splutters, Mathieu is sitting on the bed crying, Kaito is holding onto the wall for dear life and from the door, Daniel winces and facepalms when the balloon hits the coach.

“That is it!” Misha screams.

“It’s his fault!” Kaito points a finger to Dani, letting go of the wall and falling on his butt. “He did all of this!”

“Only because you pushed our mattresses out of the room!” Daniel screams back.

“Enough!” a new voice calls from the door and both boys stiffen. Sergei does not look pleased. “You” he says looking at Daniel and the boy shrinks a little. “And you” he adds looking at Kaito, who gulps. “You two are rooming together, and you are banned from all jump sessions until the end of the camp.”

The boys gape at him and lower their heads. Two hours later, they are moving into a new room, and each one settle on a different side of it. They try to act as civil as possible when they have sessions, but the moment they return to the room, the war begins again. Dani starts leaving all of his things laying around to annoy Kaito, and Kaito insists on writing on that notebook of his at night, leaving the lights on and keeping Dani awake.

***  
  


It’s a windy and rainy day, and there isn’t much to do outside. Kaito sits in his bed, carefully writing down everything they had done that morning in class. On the other bed, Daniel is looking at something on his phone with a smile on his face. A gust of wind comes from the window behind Dani and blows Kaito’s papers away. Daniel puts the phone down and goes to help him close the stuck window.

“Thanks.” Kaito whispers.

“Sure.” Dani shrugs and hands him the papers. “Are your notes okay?”

“Some of tousan’s old notes got ruined, but it’s fine.” Kaito says, and looks at Dani who squirms a little in place. “What?”

“Nothing!” The Spaniard says, fidgeting with his fingers and Kaito can’t help the smile. He does the same thing when he’s nervous. “It’s just… your tousan… what is he like?”

Kaito looks at him intently, and he smiles when he understands. He’s heard it from others in the camp, how Fernandez has never met his mother. 

“He’s amazing.” Kaito tells him. “He was my carrier, and he’s my best friend. What about your dad?”

“He’s the best.” Dani says and doesn’t miss the ghost of a smile on Kaito’s face. “We do everything together.”

“That’s cool…” Kaito mutters, feeling just a tad jealous. Just like Dani has never met his mother, he has never met his dad. “Hey, let’s head out for lunch.”

“Kaito” Daniel calls him and the Japanese stops to look at him, tilting his head. “What’s your other dad like?”

“I-“ Kaito starts but stops, and Dani goes to apologize, but the other boy continues. “I’ve never met him, but I know he’s very handsome. And that I got his curls. Let’s go eat.”

“How do you know he’s handsome if you’ve never met him?” Dani questions.

“I found a picture of him in my tousan’s drawer and he gave it to me after catching me looking at it.” Kaito shrugs. “What about your mom?”

“Dad.” Daniel corrects him and Kaito gapes. “I don’t know much about him, but my dad gave me a photo of him and we look a lot alike.”

“At least yours is a whole photo, mine is ripped- what are you looking for in your suitcase?” Kaito asks.

“This is a photo of my carrier dad.” Daniel says, taking careful steps towards the other. “And it is also ripped.”

“Right down the middle?” Kaito asks, gulping. He turns to his own suitcase and takes a diary, pulling out a photo and holding it close to his chest.

“Right down the middle.” Daniel answers.

They take a step closer and stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. It is still surreal, to look at someone who looks exactly like yourself.

“Okay, on the count of three.” Kaito says and Daniel nods. “One”

“Two”

“Three!” Both of them scream and hold out each photograph, bringing them together, and it’s a perfect match.

“That’s my _papá_.” Daniel says, pointing at the man in the photo Kaito holds.

“And that’s my _tousan_.” Kaito lets out a wet laugh, looking at the man on Dani’s photo. His phone beeps.

“It’s time for lunch.” Dani says.

“I’m not hungry anymore.” Kaito answers. “If my _tousan_ is your dad…”

“And my _papá_ is your dad, that means…” Daniel says. “That means we’re brothers.”

“Brothers?” Kaito laughs, shaking his head. “Daniel, we’re twins!”

They hug, holding tight onto each other and it feels as if a part of themselves they didn’t know was missing appeared out of a sudden.

“Oh my god…” Dani exclaims. “I have a twin! There’s another one of me.”

They hug again, and expend the rest of the day talking about their lives, until night comes and they head out for dinner. They sit together at their ‘ _Isolation Table_ ’ and continue talking while eating. Daniel tells Kaito all about his _papá’s_ club, and how he had started skating as soon as he could walk steadily. Kaito tells him about _tousan_ , how he took over as head coach at Ice Rink Sendai after Nanami-sensei decided to cut back some hours. They talk about their love for skating, how despite being able to land a triple Axel, Kaito’s favorite jump is the Salchow. Daniel laughs and tells him about his own Axel, how much it means to him. They share stories of their dads, and both listen to the other with rapt attention.

“I cannot wait to meet _papá_ someday.” Kaito says, sighing dreamily.

“You could in a couple of weeks.” Daniel says, thinking of a brilliant idea.

“What do you mean?” Kaito asks.

“Think about it.” Daniel tells him, putting an arm around his shoulder as they walk out of the dining hall and back to their room. “You can’t wait to meet _papá_ , I’m dying to meet _tousan_. We can totally switch!”

“Are you crazy?” Kaito looks at him like he has grown a second head, and he rolls his eyes.

“We are identical twins, Kai.” Daniel deadpans. “We can do it”

“Looking identical is only part of it.” Kaito rebukes. “We have completely different personalities and tastes. We even speak different.”

“We can learn to be each other! Look, I can do you.” Daniel says, messing up his carefully styled curls and imitating Kaito’s accent. “I can jump a triple Axel and you can’t.”

“I do not sound like that.” Kaito argues, and wants to smack the smirk off Dani’s face. “You know what? If we switch, they will eventually figure it out and have to send us back. They can totally meet again!”

“Yes! Oh my god, yes!” Daniel exclaims.

“We have to plan this carefully.” Kaito tells him.

They both nod, and start preparing for the event that will change their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liked it? Hated it? Let me know what you think in the comments!!


	3. The Switch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They plan everything... and then switch!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi hello!! New chapter is here! This one is longer, and I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> As always, English is not my first language, so please excuse any and all mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy!!

The rest of their time at camp is spent between practices and teaching the other everything they need to know. Sergei and Misha allow them to go back to jump sessions, and they use them to perfect each other’s favorites. In their room, they have diagrams and pictures of their family.

“Okay, time to meet the Fernandez family.” Daniel says, holding a sign with photos of his _papá_ and the rest of the family. “I live with _papá_ , of course, and Tori, our cat.”

“You have a cat?!” Kaito exclaims from the bed, bouncing. “That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted one, but with _tousan’s_ asthma we can’t.”

“Well, Tori is super cute and fluffy.” Dani grins. “Okay, moving on. Then there’s _Yaya_ and _Yayo_ , our grandparents. They live in their own house, but we visit them every Sunday. _Yaya_ is an amazing cook!”

“I love food!” Kaito tells him. Daniel laughs.

“And last, the bestest and the coolest, _Tia_ Laura.” Daniel says, pointing at a picture of a woman and himself wearing silly Christmas hats. “She’s _papá_ ’s sister, and she’s amazing. She used to skate, too!”

“I cannot wait to meet them all. Okay, my turn. Ready to meet the Hanyu family?” Kaito gets off the bed and takes Dani’s place. “Alright, first and most important, _tousan_.”

He holds up a photo of his tousan hugging him from behind, they’re both on the ice and smiling bright. Daniel smiles.

“We really look a lot like him.” He says, and Kaito nods.

“Next, _obachan_ and _ojichan_.” He holds up a photo of an elderly couple. The woman looks just like their _tousan_. “They live with us for now because they're renovating their house.”

“They’re so cute!” Dani says. “What do we call them?”

“ _Ojichan_ and _obachan_.” Kaito deadpans. “Next, she’s not really related to us, but she might as well be. Nanami- _sensei_.” He shows him a photo of a woman around sixty standing next to their _tousan_ and with her hands on Kaito’s shoulders. “She was _tousan_ ’s coach when he started competing, and she was my coach when I first started skating.”

“It’s so cool that you and _tousan_ got the same coach.” Daniel says. “ _Papá_ ’s first coach doesn’t skate anymore, but I’ve met her a couple of times.”

“And now, the most coolest and amazing person in the whole wide world.” He shows him a photo of a woman who looks very much like them, sitting next to Kaito. Both are doing the peace sign with their fingers and smiling wide. “Saya _obasan_. She’s _tousan_ ’s sister. You two almost met actually, she brought me here on the first day of camp.”

“It’s so cool that both _papá_ and _tousan_ have older sisters.” Daniel says, and Kaito sits on the bed with him, passing him the photos so he can look at them closer.

The last days of camp pass in a similar manner, until the last night when, coming out of the shower, Dani notices Kaito’s hair is a lot longer than his.

“No! Nope, not going to happen.” Kaito says, putting his hands on his head to cover his precious curls. “I am not cutting my hair short.”

“Then everything we have done was for nothing.” Daniel says, rolling his eyes. “There’s no way I go to camp with short hair and come back with hair like yours.”

“But-“ Kaito starts, and gulps when he sees Dani holding a pair of scissors and smiling at him. “Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Relax!” Dani tells him, guiding him to a chair in front of the vanity and putting a towel over his shoulders, another one on the floor. “ _Yaya_ has been cutting my hair since forever. I know how to do it.”

“Okay” Kaito mutters, gulping and closing his eyes.

He hears the first sound of the scissors as Dani starts cutting and he whimpers. This goes on for a while, Kaito gasping and whimpering and Dani telling him to relax.

“There!” Dani exclaims about 20 minutes later. “You look amazing!”

Kaito opens his eyes and looks in the mirror, blinking twice. He still hasn’t gotten used to seeing someone who looks exactly like him by his side, and with the new haircut, they look even more identical.

“Wow…” Kaito says, touching his short hair. “We look even more alike.”

“Yeah…” Dani grins, putting an arm around his brother’s shoulder. “ _Papá_ and _tousan_ won’t know the difference.”

They clean up all the towels and the hair that fell on the floor, and go to check their luggage to make sure they have everything. Once they have everything ready for the next morning, they go to sleep, together in one bed. They talk in hushed whispers, both a little nervous, a little excited.

Morning comes faster than they thought, and before they know it, everyone is running around, checking they aren’t forgetting anything and saying final goodbyes with promises to stay in touch. Kaito and Daniel stand in a corner, holding tight onto their luggage.

“I’m going to miss you, Dani.” Kaito says, scooting a little closer to him.

“I’ll miss you too, _nii-chan_.” Daniel tells him and he can feel the older’s smile.

A sleek, black sedan makes its way to the front and both boys look at it, gulping.

“Okay, that’s your car.” Kaito says, handing him a leather passport cover with a Winnie the Pooh on the front. “Here, your passport and ticket.”

“Kaito Hanyu!” Misha calls, calling him over. Dani gulps.

“Remember, you have to find out how they got together.” Kaito tells him.

“And you have to figure out why they broke up.” Dani reminds him, and hugs him tight once more.

“Kaito Hanyu!” Misha calls again. “Last call, Kaito Hanyu!”

Daniel lets go of Kaito and nods decisively, running towards the car and dragging his carry on behind him. He hugs Misha before getting in the car and rolls down the window, sticking his head out and waving at Kaito.

“ _Ganbatte, Dani_ ” Kaito whispers, crossing his fingers.

***

It’s a really long flight from Paris to Tokyo, but Daniel looks out of the window with barely contained excitement. They are about to land and he will meet his _obasan_ for the first time. He exits through the gate, looking around to see if he can find the woman, but she’s not anywhere to be seen. He gulps. Maybe she’s a bit late? But then someone squeals behind him and he turns to see her, walking fast towards him.

“Kai-chan!” Saya says when she’s close enough, and hugs him tight. Daniel melts into the embrace, and it should be weird, but it feels just like when _tia_ Laura hugs him. “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, _obasan_.” he whispers.

She takes a step back and holds out her hand. Oh, yeah! The Super Special and Only Ours handshake. People around them look at them, but who cares? Saya takes his big suitcase and he takes his skating bag.

“Come on, darling boy.” She says, holding his free hand in hers. “We have a train to catch”

There’s a bit of traffic and the ride to the station takes longer than expected, so they have to run a little, but they make it. When Daniel settles on his seat, he falls asleep almost immediately. Saya wakes him up when they arrive to Sendai Station, and it is then that Daniel starts getting a little nervous. He is fidgety on the ride home, and of course his aunt notices.

“I’m just excited to be home, obasan.” he says and she smiles at him.

The car stops in front of a brick colored house with a cream colored door. Daniel stands before it for a couple of minutes while Saya pays the driver and gets his suitcase.

“Okay.” He takes a deep breath and exhales. “This is it.”

He pushes the door open and walks in. The house looks just like the photos Kaito showed him, a bit cluttered with their grandparents things around, but he loves it. He leaves his skating bag by the door and makes his way further in, where he can see an elderly couple sitting on a table, having breakfast. The woman is stirring a cup of tea and the is reading a newspaper.

“ _Ojichan_? _Obachan_?” he calls them and the couple looks up, both smiling at him softly. The woman stands and opens her arms and Daniel goes straight to her, hugging her tight. Behind him, his grandfather hugs him too.

“Welcome back, Kai-chan.” Ojichan says and he hums.

“Kaito?” a new voice calls from somewhere upstairs and Dani snaps his head up. _Obachan_ lets go of him and smiles, softly patting his back. He takes careful steps towards the stairs and there he is, on the top step. “Kai-kun!”

“ _Tousan_ ” he whispers, trying to talk around the lump in his throat. He starts running up the stairs at the same time tousan is running down. They meet halfway and Daniel all but jumps in his arms. “Finally.”

Yuzuru holds him close, one arm around his tiny body and the other on the back of his head, hugging him like he is the most precious thing in the world. He sniffs, trying to blink back the tears, but of course _tousan_ notices.

“Oh, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asks, concern etched in his features as he caresses his face.

“Nothing!” Daniel says, circling his arms around Yuzuru’s waist, refusing to let go. “I just missed you lots, _tousan_.”

“I missed you too, darling.” he whispers, kissing the top of his head. “You cut your hair!”

“Yes, a boy at camp did it for me.” Dani says, taking the hand his tousan offers and following him upstairs. “Do you hate it?”

“It looks great, darling.” Yuzuru tells him, squeezing his hand and guiding him towards the master bedroom. “I have to look through a couple of emails, but then we can spend the rest of the day together. How does that sound?”

Daniel nods, and lets got of his _tousan’s_ hand so he can work while he looks around the room. It is neat, soft cream colors on the walls, with a king sized bed and a desk where _tousan_ is sitting. There’s also a vanity and a display cabinet full of medals. Daniel looks at them in awe, smiling brightly at the three Olympic golds and touching them reverently.

“Kai-kun.” _tousan_ calls him and he turns. “I am sorry, sweetheart, I have to run to the rink for a minute. I am so sorry.”

“Can I come with you?” Daniel asks, looking at him expectantly.

“Are you sure? You just got back.” Yuzuru tells him. Daniel nods enthusiastically. “Okay, then. I shouldn’t take too long in there, maybe we can have lunch together afterwards, and you can tell me everything about camp, yes?”

Daniel nods and goes to his room. He makes a face when he sees it, just as neat as _tousan_ ’s, he is going to have a hard time with that. He changes clothes and goes back to his _tousan_ ’s room. Saya is there, holding a worn stuffed chipmunk.

“Oh my god, Chip!” he whispers, but of course the adults hear him.

“Chip?” Saya asks. “Do you know this stowaway?”

“It belongs to a boy from camp, you know the one I was telling you about.” Daniel says and wants to facepalm.

“Well, since it is not our Chip, can we throw it away?” Saya asks.

“No!” Daniel screams, and flinches when both _tousan_ and _obasan_ raise their eyebrows. “No, it is very important to him, so I will just send it back.”

The adults nod and Saya hands it to him. He practically runs back to the room and hides Chip in the closet. _Tousan_ calls for him and they leave five minutes later.

The rink is ten minutes away from their home and Daniel walks in hand in hand with his tousan. He gapes when he sees the corner that is dedicated to _tousan_ , full of pictures of his career and detailing his achievements. _Tousan_ bows to the lady in the front desk and he makes his way to the office. Daniel waves as he walks towards the benches, settling in a seat closest to the ice and watching the skaters going about their training. He itches to be on the ice too, but _tousan_ had refused to let him skate with jet lag.

A few minutes later, _tousan_ is stepping onto the ice, bending down to touch it and then gliding towards one of the older girls who bows deeply at him. He comes to a soft stop before her and they start talking before she goes and starts an intricate step sequence. Yuzuru shakes his head and does the same sequence, only much better, finishing off with a triple Axel from a spread eagle.

Daniel smiles wide when he looks his way and waves to him.

“My _tousan_ is too cool.” he whispers.

***

In a bus station in Madrid, Kaito waits patiently for his turn to get his bags. One of them is bigger than him, but he manages. He drags his suitcase and skating bag towards the exit and, as soon as he steps through the door, a bright red car honks. Seconds later, a man he has only ever seen in photos exits the vehicle and waves at him.

“Dani!” he screams. “I missed you, _campeón_ ” Javier screams and Kaito is seconds away from crying. He blinks back the tears and runs to the car, dropping the bags when he reaches his father and launching himself on his arms.

“Uggh!” Javier grunts, but holds his son close. “You’re getting too big for this, buddy.”

Kaito shakes his head and wants to stop time. He thinks Daniel had been right, their _papá_ really gives the best hugs. They get in the car and talk all the way to their house. It’s a big apartment that looks just like the photos, with a big sign hanging on the entrance that reads ‘ _Welcome Home Dani!_ ’. Kaito smiles, holding onto his _papá’s_ hand, not ready to let go. He stops mid-step when he sees the black and white ball of fur by the door and squeals, coming closer to the cat, who just hisses his way and makes Kaito pull his hand back.

“Dani!” a woman screams from the living room, and he looks up to find _Tia_ Laura already making her way to him and engulfing him in a bone-crushing hug. The cat hisses again and Laura gives him a confused look. “What is wrong with you, Tori? You adore Dani”

Soon he is surrounded by all his family, sitting between _Yaya_ and _Tia_ Laura, talking about camp and everything he had done. The bell rings and his _papá_ gets up, a big smile on his face when he goes to open it.

“Did he invite anyone else?” Kaito asks and his _Yaya_ chokes on her coffee while his aunt snorts.

“Yeah, you could say that.” _Tia_ Laura answers and receives a pointed look from _Yaya_.

Kaito hears laughter and two voices, one male and one female, and all the alarms are going off in his head. Javier returns to the room, head turned to look at a young woman with long, brunette hair, green eyes and fair skin. Kaito gapes.

“You remember my parents and my sister, of course.” Javier says and the woman waves a manicured hand in their direction. “And this is the king of the house, my son Daniel.”

“Aw, Javi!” she squeals, coming closer to Kaito and squatting before him. “He’s so cute!”

She pinches his cheek, making Kaito physically back up and squirm closer to his aunt.

“Dani, this is-” Javier starts.

“I’m Carmen, your father’s girlfriend.” she exclaims and Kaito chokes on his own spit. “I’m sure we’re going to get along great, Dani.”

He looks around the room frantically. First at his _papá_ , who just rubs the back of his neck with his hand, then he looks at his _Yayo_ smiling at him as if he could sense his uneasiness. _Yaya_ pats his leg twice, trying to comfort him. He looks at _Tia_ Laura, whose face had been a permanent scowl since the moment this Carmen woman came in.

He tries to talk, say something so he doesn’t look stupid, but all that comes out of his mouth is a high-pitched squeal. He stands abruptly and screams a hurried _‘excuse me’_ as he runs to his room.

He makes sure to lock the door behind him and fishes his phone out of his bag, quickly searching for Dani’s number. When he doesn’t pick up, Kaito lets out a frustrated little scream and texts him. He puts his phone away just before _papá_ knocks on his door.

“You okay, buddy?” Javier asks from the other side of the door, and Kaito wants to scream that no, he is not okay, this was not part of the plan. “Dani, come on.”

He takes a deep breath and opens the door, finding _papá_ with his hand raised as if he was just about to knock again.

“I’m fine, _papá_.” he says, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Just surprised.”

“I know it is a big surprise, _campeón_.” Javier says, putting an arm his shoulder and they make their way back to the living room. “But she’s a great person, and I think you two will get along just fine.”

Kaito smiles and nods, biting the inside of his cheek to keep in the remark. They join the rest and Kaito spends the rest of the day practically glued to his aunt, praying that his message was received and read.

***

In a small restaurant in Sendai, Daniel opens his phone very discreetly and he chokes on his food when he reads the message Kaito had sent him about an hour before.

_‘HELP! Papá has a girlfriend! What do I do?! DANI CALL ME!’_

“ _¿Cómo que tiene novia?_ ” he whispers in Spanish and Yuzuru looks at him confused. Dani laughs awkwardly. “Sorry, _tousan_. Just a friend from camp. I need to call him.”

He runs out of the restaurant and goes to hide in a park, quickly dialing Kaito’s number, waiting for him to pick up.

“ _Nii-chan!_ ” he screams, quickly looking around to make sure no one has heard him. “What do you mean _papá_ has a girlfriend?”

“That’s exactly what I mean.” Kaito whispers. “Petite, brunette, green eyes, blood-red lips. Carmen. She’s working with papá in the renovations of the rink.”

“Ew! Her?!” Daniel squirms. “I’ve seen her ogling _papá_ from afar. Yuck!”

“Yeah…” Kaito agrees. “We need to switch now.”

Dani’s eyes widen.

“What?!” he screams. “No way! Kaito, I’ve only spent a day with _tousan_ , I want to stay with him longer.”

“And I want to stay with _papá_ but this is serious!” Kaito says. “She is coming with us on our skating day, Dani.”

Daniel looks around, truly desperate. He doesn’t want to return, he wants to spend more time with _tousan_. He grabs a handful of leaves and crumbles them between his fingers, trying to make it sound like interference.

“Hello?” Dani says, rustling the leaves a bit more. “Kaito, I can’t hear you. Kaito?”

“Dani-” Kaito says before Dani hangs up.

He knows Kaito will be mad at him later, but he really wants to spend time with tousan, who he can hear calling for him. He runs towards the voice and sees him, sighing when he spots him. Daniel gulps.

“Sorry, _tousan_.” he says. “I just needed to make that call.”

“Tell me so next time.” Yuzuru tells him, hugging him tight. “I won’t mind.”

Dani hugs him again, breathing in his scent.

“I’ll tell you what.” Yuzuru says. “Why don’t we go back home and call it a day? Then tomorrow we can head to the rink, and see what you’ve learnt.”

Daniel nods eagerly. Yeah, Kaito maybe mad at him, but this is so worth it.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liked it? Hated it? Let me know what you think in the comments (I'll try to answer them tonight!)


	4. 112

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shocking piece of news makes the twins rush with their plan...
> 
> Not to worry, though, they've got help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi hi!!! New chapter coming right up! As always, English is not my first language, so please ignore the mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy!!

It’s early the next morning when Dani’s alarm rings and he groans, turning in bed and putting the pillow over his head. It takes him a few minutes to get out of bed and fully take in his surroundings, remembering with a smile where he is. There’s a knock on the door and he mutters a sleepy ‘ _come in_ ’. Yuzuru’s head pops through the crack, soft smile on his lips.

“Good morning, Kai-kun.” he says as he makes his way in and to him. He leans down to kiss the top of his head. “Come on, take a shower and come down for breakfast. We’ll leave for the rink right after.”

Dani jumps off the bed and practically runs to the bathroom, showering quickly and changing into his training clothes. He runs downstairs when he’s ready and joins his _tousan_ for breakfast. They eat something light, clean up and take their skate bags, closing the door softly behind them.

They talk animatedly on their way to the rink, and Dani shares all the stories he can of camp. He has to bite his tongue more than once when he almost slips and mentions Kaito, but _tousan_ doesn't seem to notice. Ice Rink Sendai is practically empty, just a couple of junior skaters on the ice. Dani sits down and takes his skates out of the bag, silently missing the Spanish flag he usually wears on the heels, just like _papá_ does. He hurries to put on the skates, changes the soakers for hard guards and follows his _tousan_ to the ice. It’s fascinating, he thinks, seeing the way _tousan’s_ entire demeanor changes once he's gliding on the ice, softly carving figures on the frozen surface. Dani smiles and bends down to touch the ice before stepping on it and catching up to his _tousan_.

“ _Tousan_.” he calls, and Yuzuru turns, serene smile on his face.

“Let’s warm up, Kai-kun.” Yuzuru says, turning to bow at one of the skaters who bows at him. “Then you show me what you’ve learnt.”

Dani nods and follows after him, keeping himself from squealing when he recognizes the stroking patterns his _tousan_ uses to warm up, the exact same ones his _papá_ uses. He smiles blindingly.

About twenty minutes later, Yuzuru stops center ice and motions for him to come closer. He comes to a soft stop right before him and looks up, head tilted to the side.

“Now” Yuzuru says, an encouraging smile on his face. “Show what you’ve learnt”

Dani beams at him and turns, speeding up as he goes around the rink a couple of times and launches into a triple Axel, landing somewhat shaky but he whoops with his fists on the air, anyway.

“Kaito!” Yuzuru gasps. “That was amazing!”

Dani skates towards his tousan and hugs him tight. Yuzuru’s arms are tight around him and he can feel the laughter.

“It’s amazing that you can jump a triple Axel like that.” he says, kissing the top of his head. “You have to promise you will be careful, though. I don’t want you getting injured.”

“Yes, _tousan_.” Dani says, taking a step back and smiling. “Now you.”

Yuzuru laughs, head thrown back and he nods. Dani watches mesmerized as he floats around the rink, and jumps a triple Axel so big it looks like he’s flying. He remembers what Kaito had told him, back at camp when they were talking about their parents, and he said the Axel was extra especial to _tousan_.

He claps and Yuzuru takes a bow, then he comes closer and they work through some spins and footwork.

An hour later, they’re skating slowly around the rink, talking about Dani’s program for his Novice debut, when he decides to ask about _papá_.

“ _Tousan_.” he says, and Yuzuru hums. “How did you and my other father meet?”

Yuzuru’s eyes shoot open and his pick catches on the ice, making him fall. Dani winces and comes to his side. Yuzuru stands and turns to look at him, eyes very wide, and Dani is a little scared.

“Wha- hmm.” he clears his throat and starts skating towards the exit, Dani right behind him. They leave the ice and sit on the benches. “Why the sudden interest?”

“Oh, come on, _tousan_!” he whines, pouting. “I’m almost ten! And I want to know more about my other father. What is he like? How do you meet? Was it love at first sight?”

“Oh God…” Yuzuru whispers and shakes his head, getting up and motioning for his son to follow. “I knew this day would come, but I honestly thought I had a couple more years.”

“ _Tousan_ , please?” Dani begs.

“Fine, but not here.” Yuzuru tells him, sitting down and starting to take his skates off. “I’ll tell you over a cup of tea, okay?”

Dani nods and takes off his skates in a flash, carefully drying the blades before putting on the soakers and going to wait for his father by the door. He taps his foot impatiently and practically drags Yuzuru to the cozy coffee shop across the street, settling down while his tousan orders. When he returns with a cup of tea for himself and a glass of chocolate milk for Dani, the nine-year-old looks at him expectantly.

“Okay, right… your father…” he clears his throat again and sighs. “Well, we met for the first time at Rostelecom 2011. He was a skater too. But we didn’t really find any interest in each other until I moved to Canada in 2012 and we started training together.”

“You trained together?” Dani asks, visibly surprised. Huh. _Papá_ had never mentioned that.

“Yes, for seven years. Actually, I chose to train with Brian because of your father.” he says and Dani’s eyes widen. “He had the most beautiful quadruple Salchow. Even to this day, I haven’t seen one quite like it.”

“Wow…” Dani whispers and feels immensely proud of his _papá_. “So it was love at first sight, right?”

“God, no!” Yuzuru laughs and waves hand, trying to stop the giggles. “Nothing like that. Your father and I didn’t get together until after he had retired. We got together in May 2020, when we were doing Stars on Ice Japan. A year later, we got married.”

“Wait…” Dani says. That doesn’t sound right. He thought Kaito and he had been born soon after _tousan_ and _papá_ got married. “I thought you got married later. I mean, we- I! I was born in 2023.”

“Yes, you were.” Yuzuru whispers, looking down for a moment, a wave of sadness crossing his face. He looks up again and smiles. “You see, your father and I both wanted a family, but I was not ready to retire. I still wanted a shot at a third Olympic gold. And I got it. After Worlds 2022, I retired. And your father and I started planning for children.”

Yuzuru takes his hand, a soft smile on his face with the slightest hint of sadness. Dani gulps, realizing his _tousan_ must be thinking of him.

“On June 1st, 2023 you were born.” Yuzuru says and finishes his cup of tea to try and swallow the knot on his throat.

“So you and my other father were in love for eight years before you got together?” Dani asks.

“I don’t know about your father…” Yuzuru whispers. “But I certainly was.”

Dani doesn’t like the expression on his _tousan_ ’s face, sad and crestfallen. So he changes the subject and starts telling him about the cool footwork Misha had taught him at camp.

  
***

Kaito walks to the kitchen yawning, not bothering to cover his mouth. He sits on a stool and lets his head fall on the bar.

“I would be tired too, if I had stayed up way past midnight making mysterious phone calls in my room.” Kaito jumps when he hears Laura’s voice and brings his hand to his chest.

“You scared me.” He says and brings a hand to his chest. Laura quirks a brow at him.

“So who were you calling so late at night?” she asks, putting a plate with toasts on the bar.

“Oh! I was calling a friend I made at camp. Mmhmm.” he nods. “He’s from Russia!”

“Right! So you called at an hour that would be convenient for him?” Laura asks. Kaito nods again. “And that hour is two in the morning.”

Kaito stiffens. Dang it.

“Well, he’s from Moscow but I called him last night because he’s on vacation in…” he stops to think for two seconds. “China! Yup, he’s on vacation in China.”

“Right…” Laura says, not convinced at all but letting it go. “Well, if you’re not too tired, your father’s waiting for you outside.”

“He is?” Kaito takes a sip of his orange juice and jumps off the stool. “Thanks, _tia_ Laura.”

He rushes out of the door and finds his _papá_ waiting for him by the car, with Carmen standing right next to him. She has an arm around his waist and Kaito huffs.

“Hey, _papá_.” he greets him and Javier ruffles his hair. “Good morning, Carmen.”

“Hello, kiddo.” she says and Kaito dodges her when she tries to ruffle his hair too. “Well, I have to meet the contractor back at the rink and finally figure out where we’re placing that banner of Y-O-U. See you boys later.”

She winks and blows a kiss and Kaito wants to gag. Javier gestures for him to follow and they start walking, the sun beating down on them as they make their way to the park.

“ _Papá_ …” Kaito starts and Javier turns to look at him for a second before looking ahead again. “Why are you and my other father not together anymore?”

Javier chokes on his spit, turning to look at him like he has grown a second head.

“What’s with the sudden curiosity?” Javier asks, clearly trying to avoid answering.

“I’m almost ten, and I want to know more about my carrier father.” Kaito says. “Please?”

“Eh…” Javier stops, and draws in a deep breath. “Speaking of carriers and mother-figures…”

Kaito’s eye twitches, his _tousan_ hates it when someone calls him ‘ _mother_ ’ just because he was the carrier.

“What do you think about Carmen?” Javier asks suddenly, and Kaito blinks.

“She’s pretty, I guess…” Kaito tells him, tilting his head. “And she’s really not that much older than me…”

“Right…” Javier says. Well, Carmen is twenty-six, actually. “Well, how would you like to have her as part of our family?”

“Oh my God, _papá_!” he exclaims cheerfully, and Javier looks so relieved. “You’re going to adopt Carmen! Oh, I’ve always wanted an older sister!”

This time, Javier does choke on his spit. Adopt-? What the hell?

“No, no, no.” he says, shaking his head. “Dani, buddy, I am not going to adopt her. I am marrying her.”

Kaito gapes, eyes almost popping out of their sockets. His mouth opens and closes as he tries to find a proper answer. Instead, he turns on his heel and runs as fast as he can back to the house.

Marry Carmen?! What is his _papá_ thinking?!

He absolutely cannot marry her!

“ _Oh my God, what do I do now_?” he starts in Japanese, pacing around the living room. “ _They can’t get married, it’ll ruin the whole plan and we-_ ”

“What plan?” Kaito shrieks when he hears tia Laura’s voice right behind him. He turns to face her, her arms on her hips and a stern and somewhat confused look on her face. “Care to share with the class, Dani?”

“ _Tia_ …” he says. “You gave me a fright.”

“I gave you a fright?” Laura says, eyebrows raising and disappearing in her bangs. “What is going on with you?”

“What do you mean?” Kaito says.

“Your appetite is almost gone, Tori will not come anywhere near you, your Japanese is nearly perfect now and you are using expressions like ‘you gave me a fright’” Laura looks at him intently and shakes her head. “If I didn’t know it’s impossible, I’d say it’s almost as if you were…”

Laura stops and sighs, turning around and walking towards the kitchen.

“Almost as if I were who, _tia_ Laura?” Kaito asks, heart thumping in his chest.

“Forget it, Dani.” Laura says. “Nevermind what I said.”

“Almost as if I were…” he takes a deep breath and lets it. “Kaito?”

Laura’s whole body goes stiff and she turns around to face him very slowly, lips pressed in a thin line and a saddened expression on her face.

“You know about Kaito?” she whispers, voice breaking around the name, looking at the child with tears in her eyes.

“I am Kaito” Kaito says and tia Laura sobs.

The front door opens and closes loudly, and Kaito turns around to find Javier there, looking a little out of breath and a lot angry.

“Daniel, never do that again.” he starts scolding him but stops when he sees Laura with a hand covering her mouth and tear running down her face while she looks at his son. “Laura, what is wrong with you? Why are you looking at Daniel like that?”

Laura clears her throat and wipes the stray tear.

“What do you mean? I’ve always looked at him like this.” she says, trying to fight the sobs. “Ever since the day he came out of the hospital, 3 kilos and 46 centimeters.”

Tia Laura comes closer and hugs him tight, letting him go after a while and making her way to the kitchen.

“I’m going to make some lunch.” she says. “Whatever you want, okay?”

Kaito nods and turns to Javier, who looks more confused than angry now.

“ _Papá_ …” Kaito says carefully.

“Never run away from me like that again.” Javier says and hugs him. “Now, Carmen is coming for lunch today.”

Kaito groans and gets out of her father’s embrace, stomping all the way to his room. He fishes his phone out of his bag and quickly texts Daniel.

***

  
  


Daniel laughs at the story _obachan_ is telling of his _tousan_ and the first time she took him to the rink. _Tousan_ whines a little, and they all laugh again. Dinner is a lively affair, until Dani’s phone vibrates in his pocket and he grows instantly worried when he sees the message Kaito sent him.

_ 112!!! CALL ME!! _

He tries to answer so no one sees what he’s doing, but he leans too far and falls. The loud thud and his yelp make all the conversation stop.

“Kai-kun!” Yuzuru says. “Are you alright?”

“I am okay, _tousan_.” he says, clutching the phone in his hand. “Is it okay if I step out for a moment?”

“Are you sure you are okay, Kai-kun?” his tousan insists. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No!” he screams. “No, I’ll be okay. I’m just a little woozy, that’s all”

He leaves the table and practically runs out the door, missing Saya obasan’s suspicious expression.

He runs to the same park he came to the other day, and immediately calls Kaito.

“Nii-chan!” he says when the other picks up. “I just saw your message. What’s the emergency?”

“Dani, you will never believe this.” Kaito says. “ _Papá_ is getting married in three weeks!”

“What?!” Dani shrieks. “Married?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry Dani, but we have to switch now.” Kaito says.

“Yeah, okay.” Dani sighs. “I’ll tell _tousan_ and we’ll leave as soon as possible.”

“Dani hurry.” Kaito says.

“I will.” Dani tells him before hanging up.

He comes out of his hiding place and slams against someone.

“I’m sorry-” he starts and then sees who it is. “Uh-oh”

“Uh-oh indeed, young man.” Saya obasan says. “Why don’t you and I take a walk back home and you tell me everything?”

They start walking hand in hand, and Dani tells Saya everything. She hugs him tightly just outside the house, petting his hair and smiling at him.

“Of course I’ll help you.” she tells him. “But first, you have to tell your _tousan._ ”

Dani gulps and nods. They go in the house, _ojichan_ and _obachan_ are nowhere to be seen, and his _tousan’s_ voice can be heard from upstairs. Dani walks up to the second floor with careful steps, _obasan_ just behind him, and he stops before his _tousan’s_ room. Saya nods encouragingly at him and he walks in.

Yuzuru is on his bed, talking on the phone in English and writing something down on a notebook. He looks up when he hears the door open and smiles at Dani, patting the bed. Dani climbs on it and waits for him to end the call.

“That was a long call…” Yuzuru sighs, and leans down to kiss the top of his head. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, _tousan_.” he says.

“Good!” Yuzuru beams. “I just have to scan this and send it and then we can go out and enjoy the rest of the day.”

Dani hides underneath the blankets, and mumbles something.

“What was that?” Yuzuru asks. “Kai-kun I can’t understand you”

“I said I can’t” Dani says. “I have to take a flight today.”

“Oh, yeah?” Yuzuru chuckles. “And where could you possibly have to go, Kaito?”

“To Spain.” Dani mumbles. “And Kaito isn’t here.”

“Spain?” Yuzuru asks, clearly confused. “And if Kaito is not here, where is he?”

“In Madrid with his father, Javier Fernandez.” Dani says and pulls the covers away from his bed a few seconds later.

Yuzuru gapes, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He looks at the door, where Saya is standing and gasps when she nods. He turns to look back at the small child on his bed and sobs.

“Da-Daniel?” he whispers. Daniel nods. “Oh my God.”

Yuzuru takes the child in his arms, cradling him like he had when he was just months old. Before the divorce, before their agreement. For years, he had buried all the memories of Daniel deep within him, focusing on doing his absolute best to raise Kaito. To have Daniel in his arms like this is something he never even dreamed of.

“Oh, my darling.” Yuzuru says, wiping the tears off his face and cupping Daniel’s face with his hands. “You’re so grown. But how-?”

“Kai nii-chan and I met at camp.” He explains. “He wanted to meet _papá_ and I wanted to meet you, so we switched. Are you- are you mad?”

“No, of course not, my baby boy.” Yuzuru hugged him again. “I just can’t believe you’re here.”

Dani melts in his arms, hugging him tight. They stay like that until Saya clears her throat.

“Hate to interrupt, but…” Saya looks at Yuzuru. “What are you going to do? Because as much as I’d love to keep Dani with us, we can’t. And Kaito needs to come home.”

Yuzuru sighs, holding Daniel tighter. He hates it, but Saya is right.

“Your _obasan_ is right, Dani.” Yuzuru tells him, running his fingers through his curls. “Your father and I agreed on this, and we have to switch you back.”

“I understand, _tousan_.” Dani says, a little too happy, but Yuzuru doesn’t seem to notice. “Tell you what, you get everything ready and I’ll call _papá_.”

Dani kisses his cheek and doesn’t wait for an answer. Yuzuru looks at Saya, panic written all over his face, and she laughs.

“Oh my god, Saya, what do I do?!” Yuzuru tells her, getting out of bed and pacing back and forth across the room.

“You switch the twins.” Saya says. “And you come up with a new arrangement because there is no way in hell I am waiting another nine years to see my nephew.”

“Saya, you don’t understand!” Yuzuru throws his arms up in the air. “The whole reason we came up with this arrangement was so that we would never have to see each other again!”

“Yuzuru…” Saya says.

“I mean, you know what it was like!” he starts again, throwing clothes haphazardly in the suitcase Saya has left on the bed. “The man had a smile that made go weak at the knees, you know that.”

“Yes, yes, yes…” Saya tells him, taking out all the trackpants and sweatshirts and replacing them with skinny jeans and shirts. “You were never immune to Javier’s charm, I know.”

Yuzuru stops pacing, and turns to look at his sister, expression wilder than before.

“Oh my god, Saya…” he says, whole body shaking. “I’m going to meet with Javier again!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liked it? Hated it? Lemme know what you think in the comments, which I love love love!
> 
> BTW, 112 is the emergency number in Spain, hence the title and Kaito's text
> 
> Also, congratulations to one Yuzuru Hanyu for completing his Career Super Slam or whatever... no biggie (said the one who woke up at six AM to see him make history)


	5. The Hotel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins and their aunts plan their parents' meeting.
> 
> It may be more difficult than they thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello!! The twins are back!! And they've got more cuteness overload for you! I wrote half of this on my way to work, and the other half at work. I'll go back on it when I get home.
> 
> Enjoy!!

Dani looks out the car window, reading the name of the hotel and smiling. Yup, it’s everything they had expected and more. He hears a hiccup coming from his right and he turns to see his _tousan_ opening yet another small bottle of vodka. The car stops and the driver opens the door for them, Saya exiting first, followed by Dani. They both look with incredulous faces as Yuzuru stumbles out of the car, sunglasses covering half of his face. He throws his head back, mouth wide open and downs what’s left of the vodka.

“Yuzuru…” Saya sighs.

“Would you believe this is the first time I have ever tasted vodka?” Yuzuru giggles. “Right, let’s go!”

Saya and Daniel look at him as he trips on his own feet walking to the hotel lobby.

“Right, let’s go, Dani-chan.” Saya tells him, putting an arm around his shoulders and hurrying after a very drunk Yuzuru.

They check in and make their way to the elevators, Yuzuru turning in the last moment.

“I forgot my bag!” He says and giggles again.

Daniel and Saya gape, elevator doors closing slowly.

As Yuzuru makes his way to the front desk, a young woman talks to her parents.

“Right, they’ll be here any minute.” She says. “Daddy, please be nice. Javier is everything you ever wanted for your little girl and then some.”

“Then I’ll be extra nice.” The older man smirks, and they all laugh.

Sure enough, seconds later Javier makes his way into the hotel, followed by Laura and Kaito, who is holding Tori after they came to an understanding.

“Here he is!” Carmen says, and her face falls when she sees her future sister-in-law and stepson. And the cat. Of course they brought the cat. “Javier! You’re here.”

The man walks up to her and kisses her cheek, looking at her parents.

“Mom and Dad, this is Javier, the love of my life.” Carmen tells them with a sickeningly sweet smile. Behind Javier, Laura and Kaito gag. “These are my parents.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Javier.” Alfonso, Carmen’s father says.

“And these are Laura, Javier’s sister,” The woman waves a hand. “and Daniel and Tori! This whole pre-nuptial get together was Dani’s idea.”

Carmen walks up to Javi, putting an arm around his waist and whispering in his ear.

“Honey, a cat at the aBac?” She says, face tight looking at the ball of fluff in Kaito’s arms.

“Dani wanted to bring him.” Javier shrugs and Carmen smiles tightly.

“Hello, Dani! I’m Isabel, Carmen’s mom.” Daniel smiles at the woman, squirming closer to tia Laura. “You may call me abu Isa.”

The grimace on Kaito’s face makes Laura snort. There’s an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, before Carmen talks again.

“Right! So, why don’t we go to our rooms, freshen up and we’ll meet again for lunch by the pool?”

Everyone scrambles, going in different directions. Laura takes Tori from Kaito’s arms when the cat gets restless and she nearly runs into the child when he stops dead on his tracks.

“ _Tousan!_ ” Kaito screeches. Laura’s eyes widen and she turns around so Yuzuru doesn’t see her.

“Darling, you didn’t have to wait for me, I can find the room myself.” Yuzuru tells him, giggling at the end. “Go on to the room, I’ll meet you upthairs.”

He pats his back and goes back to the front desk. Kaito turns to tia Laura, eyes wide and he shakes his head.

“He’s drunk!” He whispers to her. “ _Tousan_ has never had more than a glass of champagne before and he chooses today to show up completely wasted!”

“Well, nothing you can do about it now.” Laura days and guides her nephew to the elevator. “Just listen to him and meet him upthairs.”

They both laugh and go in the elevator, still joking when the doors close.

Yuzuru heaves a sigh when the receptionist hands him his bag and thanks the woman. He makes his way to the elevator, but stops halfway there when he sees a very familiar face buried in a woman’s neck. Javier has his arms wrapped around her and looks very cozy, until his eyes clash with Yuzuru’s and he detaches himself from the woman, leaning as the elevator doors close, shock and confusion etched on his face when he sees Yuzuru waving a hand at him.

Yuzuru huffs and takes the next available elevator. Those two…

When he gets to the floor where they’re staying, he stops by his door and screams.

“Daniel Fernandez!” He yells, and the door to his right opens. Daniel walks out, head tilted to the side. On the other side of the hall, another door opens and Kaito walks out, his expression the same as Dani’s.

“Yes, _tousan_?” They both say and Yuzuru groans.

“Please, don’t do this to me.” Yuzuru whines. “I’m already seeing double as it is.”

“It’s me, _tousan_.” Kaito says and Yuzuru turns to look at him.

“Kai-kun!” Yuzuru says and leans down to hug him. He extends one arm and Dani all but runs to join in the hug.

Yuzuru hugs them tight, refusing to let them go. After a couple of minutes, he lets go of the twins and squats before them, bringing a hand to cover his mouth.

“Oh, my boys.” He whimpers, blinking back the tears.

The last time Yuzuru had seen his twins together, they were still learning to walk steadily. He runs a hand through each of their curls, marveling at just how alike they look. They’re tiny copies of him, with Javi’s curls, the same chocolate brown eyes lined by the same thick and long lashes their father has.

His expression shifts when he remembers what he had just seen in the elevator.

“Oh, but how could you do this to me?” Yuzuru says as he stands, hands on his hips. “I mean-“

“Hi, hate to interrupt.” Laura says, coming out of the room. “But what do you say we continue this in the room, hmm?”

The twins nod and walk in, followed by Yuzuru who stops to hug Laura tightly, telling her he missed her.

“I always knew I liked him.” Laura whispers, closing the door behind her.

Inside the room, the twins seat on one of the sofas, with Yuzuru pacing back and forth, hands on his hips and hair a mess from running his hands through it. He turns to face the twins.

“One of you.” He starts “I’m not quite sure which one right now. But one of you told me your father knew I was coming.”

The twins gulp and look at Laura, who just smiles at them.

“Well, let me tell you the man I just saw had no idea we were in the same planet.” He stops, staring intently at both children. “Let alone in the same hotel.” 

Yuzuru lets himself fall on the sofa and lies down, closing his eyes when the world starts spinning. He lets out a long sigh, and turns his head to look at the twins.

“Don’t you two think I’ve imagined what it would be like to meet your father again after all these years?” Yuzuru tells them, voice on the edge of desperation. “Well, finding Javier Fernandez with his arms around a woman while I wave at him like a fool was not the scenario I had in mind. No, sir.”

“ _Tousan_ …” Kaito starts.

“We’re sorry.” Dani says, looking at Kaito. “We thought it would better this way.”

“Better my ass…” Yuzuru mumbles. “Can someone please get me something cold for my head?”

Laura walks to the sofa and hands Yuzuru a wet cloth. The man thanks her and the door opens. 

“Oh, good! You’re all here!” Saya says walking in the room. “Laura it’s great to see you again.”

“Saya…” Yuzuru says, eyes closed and face pinched. “Of course you’re in on this.”

“Yeah, whatever.” She says. “Why don’t you take something for the headache and we head down for lunch?”

Yuzuru looks at her, holding out a hand and swallowing the pill dry. He stands, holding onto the back of the sofa when he loses balance. He turns to look at the twins and motions for them to stand.

“You should go find your father.” He says. “I’ll see you for lunch.”

Both kids run out of the room and start laughing when they’re by the elevators.

“ _Tousan_ is so out of it.” Kaito says.

“No kidding…” Daniel tells him. “Let’s head down. You have to find dad and I have to keep an eye out for _tousan_.”

They separate at the lobby, and Kaito speed-walks to Javier as soon as he spots him.

“ _Papá!_ ” he calls him, and the man comes up to him.

“Hey, buddy.” Javier greets him. “Listen, I need you to keep an eye on Carmen for a minute, okay?”

“Sure, _papá_.” Kaito says and walks away.

“Hey, Dani!” Javier calls for him and the child turns. “How do I look? Not too old, right?”

“You look great, _papá_.” Kaito laughs. “Young and great.”

Javier walks away, leaving Kaito on his own. He walks towards the pool, and runs into Daniel.

“ _Papá_!” Dani says, and hugs him tight.

“Hey, what’s up?” Javier hugs him back, confused. “I thought you were going to keep Carmen company?”

“I was?” Dani asks, before he nods and backtracks. “I mean, I am! Yeah, just making my way upstairs.”

"Nice outfit..." Javier says, looking at him confused. "Were you wearing it before?"

Dani hugs him again and Javier chuckles, a little confused by the behavior. He waves to his papá as he walks out to the pool, humming a song while he waits for the elevator. The door opens and woman wearing a tight, black dress walks out. She looks him up and down and Dani tilts his head.

“Where’s your father?” She asks.

“Are you talking to me?” Dani asks, truly confused.

“Who are you, Robert DeNiro? Yes! I’m talking to you.” Carmen tells him.

“Oh, you’re Carmen…” Dani says, studying her from head to toe.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Carmen asks, putting away the mirror and the lipstick.

“Nothing, you’re just very pretty.” Dani tells her, and smiles.

“What, you’re being nice, now?” Carmen mocks him. “Whatever. Your father?”

“Oh, yeah.” Daniel points to the opposite side of the lobby, towards the bar. “I think he went that way. I think.”

“Well, if you see him, tell him he’s late and I’m waiting.” Carmen tells him before walking away. Daniel watches her as she leaves and goes to the pool.

  
"Whatever you say, Cruella." Dani mutters.

***

Javier excuses himself as he bumps into yet another table, he almost slips and falls to the pool twice and finally comes to a stop when he sees the familiar figure of his ex-husband walking down a set of stairs. Javier looks on transfixed. He hasn’t seen Yuzuru in almost nine years, and still the Japanese looks the same. He is so focused on the younger, he doesn’t see the waitress coming his way when he starts moving again.

It is the loud splash that gets Yuzuru’s attention, and he hides his smile behind his hand when he sees Javier coming out of the pool, soaking wet and walking towards him. Yuzuru stands awkwardly, waiting for the Spaniard to come closer. 

They look at each other, both laughing awkwardly, until Javier breaks the silence.

“Yuzu…” he says. “Wow, I haven’t seen you in, what? Nine years?”

“Yeah…” the Japanese answers, squirming a little because even after all these years, he’s still not immune to that Spanish accent. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too, Yuzu…” Javier tells, rubbing the back of his neck. “Am I missing something here? Because I’m shocked to see you but you… you don’t look surprised to see me at all.”

“I can explain why he’s here.” a tiny voice says and both adults look to see a child standing to Javier’s right.

Javier looks at his son with wide eyes and his voice trembles when he asks.

“Dani, you-” he clears his throat. “You know who this is?”

“Actually, yes.” the child says. “And actually, I’m not Dani.”

“I am!” another child appears on Javier’s left and he looks at them, dumbfounded.

“Both of them?” he asks, looking at Yuzuru with tears in his eyes. The Japanese just nods.

He comes closer to the child on his right, squatting before him and running a hand through his hair.

“Kaito?” he asks and the child nods before throwing himself in his _papá’s_ arms. Javier hugs him tight, still not believing what is happening. “How did you two even meet?”

“They switched places on us, Javi.” 

“You and _tousan_ must think alike, because you sent us to the same camp.” Kaito tells him. “We decided to switch after camp, because I really wanted to meet you and I hope you’re not mad because I love you and this has been amazing.”

“Oh, Kai, of course I’m not mad.” Javier says, and moves a little to be able to look at his son. “I just can’t believe is you. The last time I saw you, you were wearing diapers.”

Javier hugs him again, and then turns to look at Dani.

“Dani, you’ve been in Sendai all this time?” the child nods and runs to Javier. “Come here, buddy”

Dani hugs his _papá_ tight and looks up at him.

“ _Tousan_ is amazing, papá.” Dani says. “I don’t know why you ever let him go.”

“Okay, kids.” Yuzuru says, flustered. “Why don’t you go find your aunts and let us talk?”

Kaito holds Dani’s hand and they both wave at their parents before disappearing. Yuzuru and Javier watch them leave, both of them still in awe of seeing them together.

“This is… wow.” Javier starts. “I mean, both of them together?”

“I know.” Yuzuru says, handing him a towel.

There is a weird silence between them, both of them averting their eyes every time they meet.

“So…” Javier starts. “How have you been?”

“Good!” Yuzuru answers, smiling. “Really good. Busy at the rink, but… well, you know.”

“Yeah…” Javier mutters.

Yuzuru really wants to run away when he hears a high-pitched, female voice calling for Javier. The Spaniard looks at him, clearly uncomfortable too when a manicured hand appears at his shoulder and its owner shows by his side next.

“Here you are!” she says, not paying attention at Yuzuru. “I’ve been looking for you. Oh, you’re not alone.”

“Uh, yeah.” Javier answers and he wants the ground to open up and swallow him whole. “Carmen, this is Yuzuru.”

“Oh, yes!” Carmen says. “Your Japanese friend, right? You trained together.”

“Yeah…” Javier rubs the back of his neck again and goes rigid and pale when he sees the child making his towards them. Oh no.

“Hi, _papá_!” he says. “Hi Carmen.”

“Hi Carmen!” another child says and the mentioned woman jumps.

“Aaah!” she screams, head moving from side to side to look at both kids. “Oh my God, there’s two of them!”

“Uh, yeah, about that.” Javier says. “Honey, did I ever tell you Daniel is a twin?”

“No, you forgot to mention that.” she grits her teeth.

“Don’t feel bad, Carmen. He forgot to tell me too.” Daniel says. “By the way, I’m the real Daniel. The one you’ve met before is Kaito.” He says pointing to the other child. “And this” he continues, gesturing a hand towards Yuzuru. “is our father, Yuzuru Hanyu.”

Carmen gapes. She looks at the children, trying to decipher a way to differentiate them but, other than their outfits, they truly are identical. Her brain finally seems to process what the twins told her and she her head to stare at Javier, then Yuzuru, then back to Javier.

“You…” she tells Javier. “Were married to him?!” 

“Guilty.” Yuzuru says, raising his right hand. “I bet you two have a lot to talk about, so I’m taking the twins. Bye!”

Yuzuru ushers the twins back inside the hotel and the boys high-five each other, identical and triumphant smiles in their faces.

Javier gulps when he sees Carmen's enraged expression. This is going to be a long weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liked it? Hated it? Lemme know in the comments, which I love love!! And kudos too!! <3


	6. Like That First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins enlist the help of their aunts again to plan something for their parents.
> 
> Only it backfires.
> 
> Oh, well. You know what they say.
> 
> Drastic times call for drastic measures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello!!! It's back!! And I've finished writing it!! I'll update the rest of the fic over the next few days!
> 
> As always, English is not my first language, so if there are any mistakes, just ignore them ,I'll go over them later, k?
> 
> Enjoy!

Yuzuru lets himself fall on the stool, resting his head on the bar and waiting for the waiter to bring whatever cocktail he’s mixing for him. The man approaches him with a tall glass, filled with red liquid he’s still swirling.

“Here you go, Mr. Hanyu.” the man says and settles the drink before him. “This will solve all your problems, just don’t ask me what’s in it.”

He takes the glass and nods, raising it and gulping more than half in a go. Someone seats next to him and he turns, gulping when he sees Carmen there.

“A Martini, dry.” the woman says and Yuzuru takes a moment to look at her properly.

She is very pretty. Long, dark hair cascading down her back in soft waves, green eyes and lips painted red. Then he looks at her hand as she picks up her drink, and tries not to whimper when he sees the engagement ring on her finger. His mind goes back to his bedroom back home in Sendai, where he keeps a black velvet box hidden in a drawer. Inside it he keeps the most beautiful pieces of jewelry he has ever seen, one made of yellow gold, diamonds and blue topaz; and the second one a simple gold band. The engagement ring Javier had given him so many years ago and his wedding band.

There’s a scoff next to him and he brings his attention back to the woman. She’s looking at him with a scowl so deep it scares him a little, and he sips his drink again just so she won’t hear the gulp.

“You’re here.” She says and scoffs again.

“Yes.” he says, truly uncomfortable.

“Well, I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with my fiancé, but I hope you won’t give me any trouble.” she tells him.

“Believe me, the last thing I wanted was to see Javier again.” he says, and even he can’t truly believe his lie. “Why do you think we came to that agreement in the first place?”

“What agreement?” she asks.

Right, she just found out the boys are twins.

“I have full custody of Kaito and Javier has full custody of Daniel.” he explains, finishing his drink. “We agreed on that so we would never have to meet again.”

“Great!” she says. “So you’ll take Kaito and Javier will keep Dani and we never have to meet again.”

“That’s the plan.” Yuzuru tells her and burps, bringing a had to cover his mouth. “Excuse me, I think I just drank tar.”

He bows his head as he leaves, making his way back to the room and falling face first on the bed when he arrives.

***

Hours later, someone bouncing on his bed wakes him and he cracks an eye open to see one of the twins there.

“ _Tousan_ , up!” he says.

“Kaito…” he mutters. “Let me sleep.”

“No way!” the child says and lets himself fall on top of his tousan. “We’re going to be late for dinner!”

Yuzuru turns to look out the window and sees that, indeed, it is already nighttime. He gets out of bed and suspiciously eyes the outfit Kaito has laid out for him on the chair. A black suit, crisp white shirt and black bowtie.

“Kai-kun…” he starts and turns to look at his son, smiling brightly at him. “Are we going to a party I don’t know about?”

“We’re going for dinner, _tousan_!” Kaito says and twirls to show off his own suit to match his tousan’s. “It’s a five star hotel, _tousan_ , so we have to dress fancy.”

Yuzuru nods slowly, not entirely convinced but he guesses Kaito is right. He ushers his son out of the bedroom and starts changing. It feels foreign, he hasn’t worn a suit this fancy since… He shakes his head, trying to drive the memories away. Now is not the time to be thinking about his wedding.

He decides to go all the way and styles his hair back with some gel. When he looks in the mirror, he traces the very fine lines on his face with a finger, frowning a little at them.

The incessant pounding on the door has him sighing, and he comes out to find Kaito and Saya there, gaping at him.

“ _Tousan_ …” Kaito starts, looking truly awestruck. “You look amazing.”

“Thanks, Kai-kun.” He bends down to kiss the top of his head. “You look great too.”

“Alright, you both look fabulous, time to go.” Saya starts pushing them out of the bedroom and slams the door shut on their face.

Yuzuru huffs and takes Kaito’s hand in his as they walk to the elevators. He doesn’t let go even when the nine-year-old starts guiding him to the front door and out of the hotel, where a black limousine is parked.

“Kaito?” he asks but everything else he has to say flies out of his mind when he sees Javier and Daniel.

He looks so good, he thinks, wearing a suit very similar to his, beard trimmed and hair styled back just right. Yuzuru is having a serious hard time containing the flashbacks, image upon image of their wedding assaulting him. Back then, they had chosen matching suits, too.

He looks at Dani, who also wears a suit, and then at Kai and he melts a little. The twins look amazing.

The twins run to each other and hug tightly, while Javier walks closer to him and stops just a step too close. Not that he is complaining.

“You look amazing, Yuzuru.” he says and Yuzuru smiles bashfully.

“So do you.” he tells him, biting his tongue because he wants to tell him so much more. “Do you have any idea what’s going on?”

“None.” Javier chuckles and the Japanese joins. “I was hoping you’d know.”

“We’re going for dinner!” Kai chimes in, holding hands with Dani as they approach their parents. “Come on, we can’t be late.”

The parents let themselves get dragged to the limousine by the kids, truly intrigued. A short ride later, they arrive at a restaurant Yuzuru recognizes immediately. He gulps. Memories of so many years ago flashing through his mind in fast forward.

He was twenty-one and Javier was twenty-four, they had just finished competing and Javier had taken him out for dinner, nothing more than a friendly gesture.

But Yuzuru remembers that night like it was yesterday, the first time they kissed, tucked away in a corner of this same restaurant. He remembers his heart pounding, feeling a little lightheaded, the butterflies in his stomach.

And Javi apologizing, saying he was sorry. The walk back to the hotel in complete silence, Yuzuru holding back tears, Javier staring off at a distance.

He looks at Javier now and sees the same memories in his eyes. He smiles sadly and chuckles, shaking his head. Javier looks at him surprised, but soon chuckles too and takes a step forward, opening the door and holding it for him and the kids.

The place hasn’t changed, the same dimmed lights and wood tables that have seen better days, same chairs and same distribution. A waitress comes to greet them and guides them to a table, in a hidden corner. Yuzuru wants to run away. The same table. With only two sets of plates and cutlery…

“Kai…” he starts, but when he turns to look, he finds both twins making their way out of the restaurant with Laura, who waves at them. “ _Kuso_ …”

“ _Mierda_ …” Javier says and looks more than a little uncomfortable, but still offers Yuzuru a sit.

It is awkward, so painfully awkward to just sit there in silence and waiting for their food. He can’t take it anymore so, gathering all of his courage, he clears his throat to start a conversation.

“So… I hear congratulations are in order.” he says and wants to laugh when Javier looks at him like he’s grown a second head. “What? You didn’t really think I’d forget my Spanish, right?”

“I don’t know…” Javier says, and he looks insecure for a split second, before a playful smile makes its way to his lips. “You’ve always been terrible with languages. I mean, it took you almost ten years living in Canada to start mastering English.”

“Oh, shut up!” Yuzuru grumbles, face turning scarlet red, because Javi is right. “It wasn’t ten years.”

“No, you’re right.” Javier says, taking a sip of his wine and setting the cup down when a waiter brings their food. “It was eight years, I’m sorry.”

“Whatever.” Yuzuru says, waving his hand dismissively. “Anyway, congratulations on your wedding.”

The atmosphere turns tense again and Yuzuru wants to knock himself out. Javier looks at him intently, a look Yuzuru cannot decipher. Then he goes back to that tight smile he had this morning.

“Thank you.” Javier mutters.

It is silent for a few minutes, as both pick at their food, not really eating. Then Javier looks up and stares at him with such a fond look on his face, it has Yuzuru’s heart hammering in his chest.

“You did amazing with Kaito, Yuzu.” he says, smile soft and a little smitten, a expression Yuzuru has seen before, when they first took the twins home. “He’s great.”

“Thank you.” Yuzuru says and he means it.

He has always been so afraid of what people might say about Kaito. Afraid they might judge him for only having him as a parent, say that he was bad or something like that. And, in a way, he has always been terrified of what Javier might say, knowing he is infinitely better with children. So hearing those words from him, gives Yuzuru the reassurance he sometimes needs.

“You too, Javi.” he tells him, blinking fast to dispel the tears. “You’ve done wonderful with Dani. He is great.”

“Thanks, Yuzu.” Javier says, and it is quiet for a few seconds, before he chuckles and shakes his head. “He’s a handful sometimes, especially when he becomes just like his _tousan_ and starts jumping Axels like there’s no tomorrow.”

Yuzuru laughs, loud and clear, and shakes his head. Yes, he’s seen Dani’s Axel, very similar to his.

“Yes, well, what can I say?” Yuzuru teases, still chuckling. “Like father like son. One of the twins had to take after me, seeing as Kai does nothing more than babble about his Salchow all freaking day long.”

They both laugh this time, shaking their heads. The conversation stays on the twins, both sharing their fondest memories and showing each other pictures on their phones. Just before dessert, they come to the topic Yuzuru has been avoiding since he first found out he had Dani with him in Sendai.

“You know, we’ll have to think of something.” Javier starts and Yuzuru closes his eyes. “I doubt we can keep them away from each other for long, now.”

“Yes, I know.” he answers, voice tight from trying to hold back his emotions. “What do you suggest we do?”

“Well, we can work out a visitation plan.” Javier says and nods. “You can bring Kaito over-”

“And what?” Yuzuru interrupts him, temper rising. He knows where this is going, he’s been through this once before. “He spends half a year with you, and then I get the twins for the rest of the year?”

“Yuzuru.” Javier interrupts him, and it sounds like a warning. “I have a job and responsibilities in here, I can’t just drop-”

“You think I don’t?!” Yuzuru yells, and then turns his head to make sure no one is looking. He lowers his voice, still angry and shaking. “I am head of the rink now, Javier. I have students I have to look after, meetings to attend every other day. I also have my job as a choreographer. I can’t leave my life in Japan for six months, just like you can’t leave Spain.”

They’re both glaring at each other, refusing to let the other win. And then, Javier’s phone rings, Carmen’s picture flashing in the screen.

And Yuzuru has had enough. He stands, throwing the napkin on the table and straightening his suit. He fixes Javier with an impassive look, cold and hard.

“Kaito and I will be leaving first thing tomorrow.” he informs him, fists clenched on each side of his body, nails biting the palms of his hands. “I’ll say goodbye to Dani tonight.”

And he leaves, practically runs out of the restaurant and stops the first taxi he finds, mumbling the hotel’s address. Once he is back in his hotel suite, he starts packing their bags, calling Saya to get Kaito’s things from his room. He books the first flight he finds, ready to go home.

An hour later, with everything packed and his flights booked, he falls on the bed and cries himself to sleep.

A call from the front desk wakes him up, the car will be here to pick them up in an hour. He thanks the receptionist and gets out of bed, takes a quick shower and puts on comfortable clothes. They have a long flight ahead.

When he goes to check on Kaito and Saya, he finds a note.

**We went for breakfast, meet you downstairs.**

He sighs, leaving all of their luggage by the door to be picked up later. He finds them sitting around a table with two other people. Daniel and Laura. Yuzuru tries to swallow the lump in his throat and approaches them.

“Kaito.” he calls.

“Yes?” two voices answer.

Yuzuru looks at them dumbfounded.

“Now is not the time for jokes, kids.” he tells them, voice stern. “Kaito, we have to go.”

Both twins stand up and come closer, standing just before him. He looks at them, trying to recognize which one is Kaito. And he should be able to, right? After all, he raised him for nine years, right? But they are so freaking identical he can’t tell them apart.

“Stop playing around, boys.” Yuzuru warns them on the edge of having a mental breakdown.

Just then, Javier and Carmen appear in the hall and Yuzuru doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They are holding hands, and it sends a pang of hurt to his heart. Add that to the problem at hand, and Yuzuru wants to tear his hair off.

“What’s going on here?” Javier asks, looking at Yuzuru’s wild expression with confusion. “I thought you were leaving today.”

“I was, I mean, I am!” Yuzuru tells him frantically, his breath a little faster than normal. “But our wonderful kids have decided they don’t want to.”

Javier sighs. He should’ve seen this one coming. He squats before the twins and puts a hand on each of their heads.

“Alright, buddies, listen.” Javier clears his throat before continuing. “We will make sure you two meet as often as possible, but now we have to go our separate ways.”

“Sure, _papá_.” they both answer.

“Alright.” Javier says, satisfied and a little smug at having succeeded. “Kaito, come here.”

All his smugness and pride leaves his body when both kids answer to his call. This cannot be happening.

“Kaito.” Yuzuru calls, taking one of the twins.

“I’m not Kaito, _tousan_.” the boy says. “Or maybe I am.”

All the adults stare at them dumbfounded. It really is impossible to tell them apart, and they are wearing grey sweatpants and a white sweatshirt. Same face, same height, same hair and same outfit.

Yuzuru and Javier want to cry.

“Alright, you two.” Carmen intervenes for the first time, clearly annoyed. “One of you is coming with Javier and the other is leaving with your mother, or whatever.”

Yuzuru’s left eye twitches, as do the twins’. He really hates being called a mother. Javier winces.

“But Carmen.” one of the twins starts. “What if they take the wrong twin? Then they have to meet again to switch us back.”

Carmen’s eyes narrow. The little brat is right. The last thing she wants is for Javier to meet his ex-husband yet again. Ugh! The little brats are more cunning than she had anticipated.

“Alright, everyone, just calm down.” Laura says, clearly all too pleased with the situation. “Daniel and Kaito, what will it take for you to tell us who is who?”

Daniel and Kaito look at each other and nod, looking back to the adults with satisfied smiles on their faces. They cross their arms across their chests.

This is going just like they had planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liked it? Hated it? Let me know in the comments, which I love love love <3


	7. At Least It Wasn't A Hard Guard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins refuse to tell them who is who. Javier and Yuzuru go along with their plan.
> 
> Oh, and Carmen has to, as well.
> 
> Sounds like fun, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi hi hello!!! It's here!! Last chapter! Well, not quite, there's an epilogue that I'll publish before the end of the week. But the story as it is, it's done!! 
> 
> As always, English is not my first language, so please forgive any and all mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy!!

The trip to the house the Fernandez family keep in Jaca is uncomfortable, to say the least.

The twins had been adamant that the only way they would tell the adults who is who, was for them to take a trip to Jaca, to the house they still have there and skate together. Javier and Yuzuru had had no choice but to agree, seeing as they really couldn’t afford to switch the twins again, their mental health wouldn’t be able to stand it. So they made arrangements. Javier had called his mother and asked her to send their skating gear, and so had Yuzuru. Yumi had informed them their things would be waiting for them once they arrived in Jaca.

Four hours, two stops and a lot of arguing later, they are parking the cars on the street and making their way up to the apartment. It isn’t very big, but it can fit three adults and two children, seeing as Javier and Carmen are sharing what was Javier’s parents room and the twins are sharing Javier’s old room, with Yuzuru sleeping in Laura’s.

Javier and Carmen head out to the market to buy some groceries for the next few days, and Yuzuru takes the chance to talk to the twins. He knows they like seeing him and Javier together, and he knows they don’t want to be apart, but this is ridiculous.

“Kids.” he says, looking at the twins unpacking their skates. They look up at him and Yuzuru wants to squeal. His twins are so cute! “This is ridiculous. Do you know how awkward this is for your father and me?”

“We just want to see you skating together, like you said you used to.” one of the boys says.

“And we want to skate with you both, too.” the other finishes.

Yuzuru sighs, a soft and sad smile on his face, guilt blooming inside him. He knows the twins have missed their other parent and understands that, to them, seeing them together is something they have wanted for so long. Kaito used to tell him he would love to meet his father, and show him all he can do on the ice. Of course, Yuzuru had never told him he got his talent from Javier, but he knew how much this meant to him.

He suspects Daniel is the same.

“Alright, I’ll tell you what.” Yuzuru sits on the floor before them, taking his own bag and pulling out his skates. He touches them reverently for a few seconds, before turning his attention back to the kids. “We can stay until Monday and your father and I will go to the rink with you, like we promised.”

The twins start cheering until he holds a hand up.

“But.” he says, voice suddenly serious. “Carmen is also invited. Whether you like it or not, she will be part of your family too.”

“ _Tousan!_ ” the twins exclaim.

“No.” Yuzuru says, a finality in his voice that cannot be overlooked. “I don’t want any complaining. We are staying until Monday and Carmen is coming with us to the rink. Take it or leave it.”

The twins huff, taking their things and going to their room, slamming the door shut just as the front door opens. Javier walks in, followed by Carmen and, to Yuzuru’s surprise, Laura.

“You’re back early.” he says, getting off the floor and putting his skates back in his bag.

“Yes, well, there wasn’t many people in the supermarket.” Carmen says, dropping the one bag she’s holding before Yuzuru. “The kitchen is over there.”

“I know.” he answers and has to bite his lip to hide the smirk at her surprised face. “I’ve been here before.”

Carmen’s eyes threaten to fall out of their sockets and she turns to look at Javier, walking up to him and whispering in his ear.

“I hope you burned that mattress.” she hisses.

Yuzuru coughs to hide his laughter and walks towards Laura, helping her with the rest of the bags.

“Where are the twins?” she asks him. “They’re awfully quiet.”

“Oh, they’re in their room.” Yuzuru tells her, chuckling at the end. “Plotting my demise, I’m sure.”

“Why?” Laura says between chuckles, putting the tomatoes in the fridge and closing the door.

“Well, I told them we could stay until Monday and go skating like they wanted.” Yuzuru informs her as they make their way back to the living room. “But Carmen is coming with us.”

“What?!” Carmen screeches. “Oh no, no no no. I don’t skate.”

“It’ll be fun!” Yuzuru insists, an encouraging but wicked smile on his face. “Javier is a great teacher! And it’ll be a great chance for you to bond with the twins.”

“But-” Carmen tries to refute.

“After all, they’ll be yours too soon.” Yuzuru finishes and sees the exact moment Carmen catches on.

Javier appears in the hallway, looking confused and unable to read the atmosphere. Carmen walks to him and practically drags him to their room, leaving behind a very satisfied Yuzuru and an equally excited Laura.

“I would pay big money to see that woman skate.” she chuckles. “I have to go back to Madrid today, but please film her.”

“What a bad sister-in-law.” Yuzuru teases her. Laura laughs and punches his shoulder lightly and they both laugh some more.

Friday morning finds the five of them heading to the rink. Javier had called ahead to make sure they could use it, especially since Yuzuru was still figure skating’s very own rockstar, even after so many years. Once in the building, the twins and Yuzuru settle on the benches and start putting on their skates, while Javier and Carmen head to the counter to rent skates for her. Yuzuru shudders. It’s a good thing his skates had arrived on time, he wouldn’t be caught dead skating in rentals.

They finish changing soakers for guards and head to the ice, stopping before the boards. The twins head in first, both bending to touch the ice like Yuzuru does. Yuzuru chuckles and follows after them, leaving Javier to help Carmen step on the frozen surface.

“Careful, okay, you’re doing great.” he tells her. “If you feel safer, hang onto the boards at first.”

“I’m okay.” Carmen assures him with a tight smile. “Go and skate with your children.”

Javier pecks her lips and the twins gag when they catch sight of it. He then skates to where the twins are and looks at them intently, shaking his head when they look at him with the most cat-that-ate-the-canary look he has ever seen. A flash of black passes his line of vision and he watches, almost transfixed, as Yuzuru warms up. He wants to bang his head against the ice repeatedly because Yuzuru still uses that sinfully tight Under Armour training outfit, complete with his Ice Rink Sendai gloves. And he is not immune to it - he never was.

He comes out of his daydreaming when a loud thud resounds in the rink, and he whips his head to his right to find Carmen struggling to stand up again. He starts skating to her, but is stopped by her voice.

“I’m okay!” she screams.

“ _Papá_.” the twins call him, and he is secretly very happy to hear both voices call him dad.

He looks at them and nods and both kids take off. Javier is surprised to see them doing the exact same exercises, and he stomps his foot on the ice lightly. He had been secretly hoping to tell them apart once they were skating, since he knew how he had trained Daniel. But it seems like Yuzuru had also used the old patterns they used to skate to train Kaito, and both twins were warming up perfectly synchronized. He watches them with a proud smile on his face, until the sound of blades scratching the ice to a stop rings close to him.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Yuzuru asks, not looking at him but at the twins, who are edging each other, and moving around the rink together as if it had always been like that.

“Yeah, they are amazing.” Javier answers, pride swelling inside of him. “Then again, we are their parents. And they’ve apparently inherited a lot more than our looks.”

Yuzuru chuckles and punches his arm lightly, making Javier turn his head to look at him. There’s a smile on his face he hasn’t seen in many years and he takes it for what it is. A challenge.

_Keep up if you can_ , that’s what Yuzuru is telling him.

The Japanese starts skating, mimicking the moves the twins had started with and, as if pulled by an invisible rope, Javier follows. They fall to a familiar routine, going around the rink like they used to.

Suddenly, Javier is back in Toronto, 28 years old, training for Japan Open 2019 and following the same routine with a twenty-four years old Yuzuru, who suddenly turns abruptly and flies, landing that damned triple Axel effortlessly. Just like he does now, even after all this years and after everything he has put his body through.

Who knows how long they go on like that, Javier and Yuzuru edging each other, the twins clapping excited. They show their skills for the twins to soak up, teaching them little things here and there, until their stomachs rumble and their muscles scream for mercy. Javier stops before the rest of them do, and looks around to find Carmen sitting on the benches just outside the rink. He mutters under his breath and hurries to the exit, forgoing guards to take a sit next to his fiancé.

“Hey, you.” He says and leans in to kiss her, only to find a hand instead of soft lips.

“You have sweat running down your face.” she says, mildly disgusted.

Javier frowns. He knows it can’t be easy for her, to be here and watch him and his ex-husband bond with their children over a passion the four of them share. But she needs to understand that Yuzuru will always be a part of his life, of his past and of his future. They will forever be connected through the two precious children they created.

He looks towards the ice to see Yuzuru exiting, followed by the twins. They take their guards and put them on, and Yuzuru bows slightly to them before following the twins out. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the Zamboni on the ice.

“I’m gonna go get something to eat and wash up a little.” Javier tells her, standing up and offering a hand. She takes it and smiles, and Javier sighs contently. “Wanna come with?”

“Sure.” she answers, shrugging.

When they make it to the lobby, they see the twins hugging the living daylights out of Yuzuru, whining and complaining. Javier is more than confused and, judging by the look on her face, so is Carmen.

“What’s going on?” he asks, head tilted slightly to the side and looking at Yuzuru. “Yuzuru?”

“I’m going to head back to the house.” he says, a small smile on his lips. He walks towards him after finally detaching himself from the twins and whispers when he’s close enough. “You four need to be alone for a while.”

“Uh… Yuzuru…” Javier starts.

“There’s no need.” Carmen finishes, and Javier is extremely aware of the awkward atmosphere.

“It’s fine, really.” Yuzuru says, waving his hand. “Like I said, they’ll be yours soon, too. So you need to get to know them!”

Javier goes to say something and so does Carmen, but Yuzuru turns around, takes his bag and waves goodbye. He can feel Carmen’s stiffness from where she stands next to him, and the look on the twins faces say they don’t like the idea very much either. Javier deflates and sighs.

“Alright, they’re resurfacing the ice right now” he says, squaring his shoulders. He can do this. “You two stay here, Carmen and I will head to the cafeteria to get some food. We can eat and then get back to the ice.”

The twins nod and watch as the adults leave. Once they are out of sight, they smile to each other, mischief written all over their faces as they walk to the lockers, open one of them and take everything out.

Ten minutes later, Javier and Carmen return and find the twins playing rock paper scissors. Javier smiles, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. They set the food next to them and start eating, a comfortable silence around them for once. The twins devour what’s in their plates and Javier snorts.

“Gosh, we forgot napkins.” Carmen says, shaking her head. “Hold up, I have tissues in my purse.”

The twins watch as she stands and walks to her locker, opening the door to find it completely empty. She stands there, gaping, before she slams the door shut and turns to face the twins. They gulp when they see the infuriated look on her face, hands on her hips and chest rising and falling with her rapid breathing.

“Where. Are. My. Things.” she asks, voice dangerously low and menacing, staring daggers at the twins.

“Carmen, I’m sure-” Javier starts, but stops when she turns to face him.

“Oh, please!” Carmen screams. “You are always ready to defend them! Wake the fuck up, Javier! They are not the little angels you think they are!”

“Carmen.” Javier warns her, a shadow taking over his face.

“Listen to me, listen to me real good.” she says, taking a step towards Javier. “There is no way I’m gonna put up with them, not even one of them. The first thing I’m gonna do when we’re married is send that little brat to boarding school.”

The twins both scoff. Like their _papá_ would ever let her do that.

“So, here’s the deal.” Carmen says, smirking. “Either me or them. Get it?”

For a moment, Kaito and Daniel look at each other worried, and then at their _papá_. But they see the smile that makes its way to Javier’s face as he crosses his arms across his chest and leans in to stare Carmen right in the eye.

“Them.” he says.

“What-” Carmen gapes, unsure if she’s heard right. He had this fool wrapped around her little finger, so… “What did you just say?”

“I said, ‘them’” Javier tells her, shrugging his shoulders. “T-H-E-M, them. Get it?”

Carmen screams, and the twins wince. When she walks out, they high-five each other before Javier turns to face them.

“Uh-oh.” they say, gulping.

“You two are in so much trouble.” Javier tells them. “Where did you actually put her clothes?”

Inside the rink, pieces and bits of clothes are scattered around the ice, nicely wet and a little frozen. Well, that’s what happens when a Zamboni drives over them.

  
  


Yuzuru is humming a soft tune as he prepares some tea, absentmindedly stirring the liquid in the cup as he checks his emails. The twins won’t be back for at least another two hours, so he has time to think over a new arrangement before talking to Javier- and Carmen, unfortunately- about it.

To his surprise, the front door opens and the twins walk in, stomping their feet all the way to their room. A few seconds later, Javier comes in as well, shutting the door closed behind him. Yuzuru looks at him, confused.

“Where’s Carmen?” he asks and tilts his head at Javier’s defeated and a little angry expression.

“She left.” he says and puts his hand in his pocket to fish a shiny ring out of it. “Right after throwing this at me.”

Yuzuru gapes. That is the engagement ring Javier had given her, the extravagant solitaire shining in the artificial light. What the hell? The wedding is off? And why the hell is he happy?

“I hope it wasn’t because of me.” Yuzuru tells him.

Yuzuru squirms uncomfortably in his sit. As much as it bothered and pained him to see Javier with someone else, he didn’t want to get in between them. Javier chuckles.

“Yeah, a little.” the Spaniard says between chuckles. “Oh, by the way, the twins are forbidden from jumping for the rest of their lives.”

“What?” Yuzuru snorts. “Why?”

A chorus of ‘ _it’s not fair, papá!_ ’ and ‘ _you can’t make us!_ ’ can be heard from the twins’ room. Javier and Yuzuru both chuckle, and Javier lets Yuzuru put the wet napkin on the little cut on his forehead.

“They threw all of Carmen’s things on the ice and they got run over by the Zamboni.” Javier tells him and laughs when sees Yuzuru’s eyes widen. “You gotta give them points for creativity.”

“Oh my gosh, Javi, I’m so sorry.” Yuzuru apologizes again, but Javier shakes his head, looking at the ring in his hand and laughing softly.

“Well, at least it wasn’t blade guards…” he says and he looks at the Japanese, who turns scarlet red.

He remembers all too well. Their last argument, both screaming at each other, the twins asleep and blissfully unaware in the other room. Javier bringing up a topic he knew was difficult for him and Yuzuru fuming. He had taken the hard guards off his skates and thrown both of them at the Spaniard, with surprisingly good aim.

They both laugh. Javier excuses himself to go the room, and Yuzuru starts preparing his speech. The twins obey their father’s warning and stay in their room, and Yuzuru wishes they were here so they could somehow dissipate the loaded atmosphere around them.

They settle on the sofa, Yuzuru with his tea and Javier with a cup of coffee.

“You know, Javi.” Yuzuru starts, because he really cannot take the silence anymore. “We need to figure out how we’re going to do it with the twins. Not just for their sake, but for ours.”

“I know.” Javier says and looks at Yuzuru. “Yuzu…”

“Hmm?” the Japanese has his eyes closed.

“What happened to us?” Javier asks, and regrets it a second later when Yuzuru chokes on his tea. “ _Mierda_ , I’m sorry, I-”

“We had different ideas.” Yuzuru answers before Javier can say another word. “You wanted your life in Spain and weren’t ready to compromise any part of it. And I wanted to spend time in Japan, too.”

“Yeah…” Javier remembers all too clearly, how selfish he had been when they were having that last argument, the last straw.

He had said very hurtful things to Yuzuru and had refused to take them back. He got so angry at the other, he had suggested the arrangement they have with the twins. And Yuzuru had agreed, clearly just as angry at him, if not more.

“I still regret that.” Javier says. “The things that I said. I wanted to apologize for so long, but I let my pride rule me. In the end, I kept pushing it to the back of my head, and then I found myself with a toddler and decided to devote myself entirely to him.”

“Yeah, me too.” Yuzuru said. He had forgiven Javier for his words long ago, knowing the Spaniard had only said them in the heat of the moment. “I devoted myself to Kaito and my students, and tried to keep Dani and you in the back of my mind.”

They look at each other as if they’re searching for something. Javier will never be immune to Yuzuru’s beauty, he never had been to begin with. And just like that first time in 2015, he leans in and steals a kiss. He is more than surprised when Yuzuru returns it, kissing him like he used to all those years ago. It makes Javier feel alive again, feel a part of himself he had forgotten.

It ends just as abruptly as it had begun, when Yuzuru pulls back, eyes wide and holding out a hand when Javier opens his mouth.

“No.” Yuzuru says and his voice is shaking. “We can’t do this, Javier.”

“Yuzuru.” he refutes. “It’s obvious you still feel something for me, and I definitely feel something for you so-”

“So what?” he asks, standing. “We can try to make this work? We couldn’t nine years ago, what makes you think we can now?”

“We can at least talk about it like adults.” Javier tells him.

“I am!” he screams. “What do you propose, Javier? A distant relationship, half a year in Spain and half in Japan? Do you realize how crazy that sounds?”

“Yuzuru, wait-” Javier tells him when he starts walking towards the twins’ rooms.

“No, we’re leaving.” Yuzuru says, a tear running down his face.

Yuzuru walks in the twins’ rooms and finds them looking at him, a little frightened. His expression softens, but his voice is stern when he talks.

“We are leaving tomorrow.” he says and the twins’ eyes widen. “So I suggest you get your things ready, Kaito.”

“But-” they start.

“But nothing.” Yuzuru sentences. “We are leaving tomorrow and I am taking Kaito with me.”

He turns around and leaves, avoiding Javier as he makes his way to Laura’s room and closing the door behind himself.

Javier turns to the twins, sees their crestfallen expressions, and hugs them tight.

“Don’t worry.” he whispers. “Everything will be okay.”

***

Yuzuru sighs for the umpteenth time when Kaito walks past him and into their home, greeting his grandparents shortly and going up to his room. Yuzuru walks in and shuts the door softly, trying hard to avoid what he knows is coming.

“You are a damn fool.” his mother tells him and he wants to cry, because she is right.

“Not now, _okasan_.” she tells her, looks at her and her expression softens.

He knows what she sees. Red, puffy eyes, his face swollen and his defeated demeanor. It effectively shuts her up. She comes closer and wraps her arms around him, letting him nuzzle in her neck as a sob wrecks him.

A shriek from upstairs makes them break the embrace and Yuzuru turns to the stairs. He runs up to second floor and to his room, slamming the door open and stopping dead on his tracks when he sees the scene inside.

Kaito and Dani are holding tight to Javier, who has an arm around each of them. Yuzuru gapes, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. How is this possible?

Javier whispers something to the twins and they let go of him. He walks towards Yuzuru and only stops when he is close enough to feel his body heat.

“How-” Yuzuru starts.

“There’s this wonderful thing called ‘non-stop’” Javier teases him. “It’s faster than a lay-over.”

“I know that.” Yuzuru grumbles.

“I let you get away once.” Javier says, an arm around Yuzuru’s waist and pulls him closer, until they’re flush against each other. “I’m not letting you go again.”

And he leans forward, kissing Yuzuru with everything he has. He hums, elated, when he feels the hands that tangle in his hair, pulling him closer.

“Ew!” they hear, and break the kiss laughing to turn to their twins, horrified and disgusted expressions on their faces.

Javier turns to look at Yuzuru and winks.

“Oh, yeah?” he tells the twins. “Get used to it, you two, you’ll be- mmmph.”

He can’t continue because Yuzuru is kissing him again. And again. And again.

Until their twins run out of the room, professing their utter disgust.

Until their lips are swollen and bruised. 

That night, as Javier holds Yuzuru’s naked body next to his, he gives thanks for the two tiny monsters they created.

Daniel and Kaito are to blame for all of this.

And he could not be more grateful.

He might have to lift the jumping ban, afterall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liked it? Hated it? Let me know what you think in the comments, which are always super welcome and always put a huge smile on my face!! :)


	8. Epilogue: Past, Present And Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One last look at the Fernandez-Hanyu family: their past, present and future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello!!! It's here! The last part of this fic, the epilogue!! It should've been done ages ago, back things got a little bad for a little while, and I couldn't finish it. But it's finally done!
> 
> As always, English is not my first language, so please excuse any and all mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy!!

**WAIT-**

_**NOVEMBER 26TH, 2022** _

He opens the hotel window and looks out, inhaling the fresh air. Well, as fresh as Tokyo's air can be. It helps calm his stomach, which has been upset and misbehaving for the past week or so.

The bathroom door opens, and Javi walks out towelling his hair, humming a song under his breath. Yuzuru smiles, having his husband with him is great and they even get to work at the same time. Yuzuru knows it is something silly, Javi and he had worked, or rather competed, together before. But this was different. No pressure, no expectations, nothing. He had been asked to be one of the commentators for the season, and he could hardly say no. Javi had began commenting for Spanish TV the previous season and this would be the first time they would tackle this new job together.

"Yuzu." Javier calls him and he turns. Not a good idea, his stomach flips yet again and something in his face must show it. "Are you okay, _cariño_?"

He doesn't answer. Instead, he speeds past Javier to the bathroom and barely makes it to the toilet before he starts vomiting everything he had for breakfast. Javier is behind him, running a hand up and down his back soothingly while Yuzuru is still retching. He doesn't know how long they stay there, until he feels his stomach calm some and he can stand. He rinses his mouth and makes a face, at the aftertaste and then at Javi's overly concerned expression he can see in the mirror.

"I'm fine." he says and his husband quirks an eyebrow, which only irritates him more than he already is. "I am fine, Javi. And we're going to be late."

He doesn't leave any room for argument and goes to change his clothes, putting on the neat gray suit, his blue tie and gathering all the papers on his nightstand. Of course, he had done his research about the skaters competing today. He looks to his right, where Javi is finishing tying the knot of his tie and smiles when he comes closer and kisses his temple.

"If you start feeling sick again, let me know, please." he whispers and Yuzu gets mildly irritated. "I'm not babying you, Yuzu. You're clearly not feeling 100%, and I just want to take care of you."

_Stupid, handsome, caring, loving and amazing husband_ , he thinks. Yeah, there's no comeback for that. He just nods and takes Javi's hand as they head out. It's a short ride to the rink, and people are thankfully already inside when they arrive, so there isn't as much press as Yuzu had feared. Once inside, Javier kisses him goodbye and goes to find Paloma, while Yuzuru makes his way to his booth, where Nobu is already waiting for him.

"Yuzu!" he exclaims, still his usual lively and excited self. Somethings never change, and Yuzu is happy for it. 

They hug and settle, putting on their headsets and doing a quick soundcheck before the broadcast starts. Yuzu looks to the ice and face many familiar faces. Shoma, Jason, Jun and Shun are there, all of them eager for that gold around their neck. A wave of nostalgia hits him and he smiles, a little sad. He doesn't regret his decision to retire, and he loves his new life, but he still misses the thrill of competition. He sees Jun and Jason approach the boards and his smile brightens when he sees Tracy, Brian and Gishalain. Of course, he knew they would be here, but it is still nice to see them.

A staff member comes to the booth and informs them the broadcast is about to start. The small monitors before them turn on and soon, they are introducing themselves to the audience.

Two hours later, when the second group of men are warming up, Yuzuru is commenting Shoma's quad flip when his stomach decides to start jumping quads inside his abdomen. He tries to fight it, he is in the middle of a goddamned broadcast, but in the end, the nausea gets worse and he bolts from the booth, pulling the headset off in a hurry. Thankfully, they are in a venue he knows like the palm of his hand, so he makes it to the men's room before he throws up all the snacks and tea he had through the day. He stands by the sink, watching the running water washing his vomit away when the door opens abruptly and Javier walks in.

"That's it." he says, voice final. "I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

"Don't be ridi-" his rebuke is cut short by more retching, but there is nothing left in his stomach.

Javier comes by his side and pushes his hair off his face. His forehead is sweaty, skin clammy and he's breathing a little faster than normal.

"Yuzuru, this is the second time today." Javier tells him, and the hint of fear in his voice doesn't go unheard by the Japanese. "Yesterday, you spent almost half an hour holding onto the toilet and retching. And that was only in the morning."

"Javi-" he tries.

"No." Javier stops him. "This isn't normal, Yuzu. And I'd rather we go to the hospital and have it checked. For both out mental states."

Yuzuru deflates. Javier is right, of course. He knows all the vomiting and retching and heartburn aren't normal. He also knows they are all pregnancy symptoms, and he doesn't have the heart to go through the disappointment again. They have been trying for a baby for half a year, and every time Yuzu thought he might be pregnant, the tests came back negative.

But he agrees to let Javi take him to the hospital, on the condition that he lets him finish the broadcast. Javi kisses him and agrees, telling him to call him immediately if he starts feeling sick again. He returns to the booth and Nobu looks at him concerned, but Yuzuru just smiles and mouths _'later'_. He settles on his chair and puts his headset on, continuing like nothing happened.

A little over an hour later, Yuzu and Javi are on the backseat of a black sedan and making their way to the closest hospital. When they arrive, Yuzuru starts explaining his symptoms to the nurse, who smiles and nods politely as he goes, until the doctor arrives.

"Very well, Hanyu-san. We will perform some tests and see what is going on." he says, voice void of any emotion and it scares Yuzuru a little, but he nods.

He knows Javi will never let him live down the whimper that escapes his lips when the nurse inserts the needle to take some blood samples, but at the moment he doesn't care. He wants to know what is happening with his body. Once she is done, the nurse sends them back to the waiting area and tells them to wait there for the results.

An eternity seems to go by, and Yuzuru is falling asleep on Javi's lap when the same nurse calls his name. He sits up abruptly and looks at Javi, who just stands and offers his hand. Yuzuru takes it and squeezes it and they follow the nurse to the same examination room as before. She instructs Yuzuru to sit on the bed and points to a chair for Javier.

"The doctor will be here soon." she smiles and bows and leaves them alone.

"Javi..." Yuzuru whispers, holding out a hand. For the first time since he started feeling sick, he is scared there might be something terribly wrong with him.

"You'll be fine, _mi amor_." Javi tells him and kisses his hand.

"More than fine, actually." a voice by the door says. It's a middle-aged woman dressed in blue scrubs, who smiles friendly while she closes the door. "I'm doctor Shida, pleasure to meet you both. Doctor Iwamura passed me your case, Hanyu-san."

Yuzuru bows his head, confused.

"Well, we know what is going on with you." doctor Shida says. "But I still want to check something, so I need you to lay down and pull your shirt up."

Yuzuru does as told, and hisses when the doctor pours some cold gel on his abdomen. She smiles and turns to a machine, turning it on and grabbing the probe, placing it on top of the gel.

"Now, let's see what we have." she mutters and starts moving the probe around. "Aha!"

Yuzuru looks at her, eyes wide with fear. He turns to look at Javi, who is also looking at the doctor with a frightened expression.

"No need to look so scared!" she says, and Yuzuru wonders if she might be high on something. No one working a graveyard shift in an ER can be that happy. "It's nothing bad, I promise! Here, see?"

She point at some blurry blob on the screen and then another, Yuzuru and Javi tilt their heads. She laughs and presses a few buttons on the machine. The room is dead quiet for two seconds before a steady and fast beat can be heard, echoed by another.

Yuzuru gapes at the screen, focusing on the two tiny blobs the doctor had pointed. A sob breaks the steady beating sounds and he turns to look at Javi, who has tears and snot running down his face.

"Congratulations, Hanyu-san!" the doctor tells him.

Pregnant. Yuzuru is pregnant. He is going to have a baby with Javi.

Wait-

" _Fu-futago desu ka?!_ " Yuzuru screeches and the doctor laughs again.

"Yes, two tiny babies!" she tells him. "This is why I wanted the ultrasound. The tests showed a high level of hcg and I wanted to check. I can only see one placenta, which means identical twins."

"Oh my god..." Yuzuru whispers. "Javi... we're going to be parents!"

The doctor hands Yuzu some paper towels and leaves the room, softly closing the door behind her. Yuzu wipes his abdomen before sitting up, legs dangling. He slowly brings his hands to his lower abdomen and caresses the skin there. A pair of larger hands join his and he looks to find Javi kneeling, fat tears brimming from his eyes and snot still running down from his knows.

"You look stupid." Yuzuru tells him and laughs, his own tears falling and a blinding smile on his face.

Javier laughs and stands, bending down to kiss his husband repeatedly, hands still on his belly.

"And you never do anything half-assed, do you?" Javier teases him, but the adoration in his voice cannot be mistaken. " _Te amo_."

They exit the hospital hand in hand, with a photo of their tiny blobs safely inside Javi's pocket.

***

**OH, THE IRONY**

_**MAY 10TH, 2023** _

It's been almost six months since they found out about their twins and Javier cannot wait for them to be born.

They waited until Christmas to tell their families about the pregnancy. Their mothers cried, their fathers laughed and their sisters had already started planning everything they were going to spoil the twins with.

Doctor Shida had been right, Yuzu and Javi are expecting identical twin boys. Yuzuru doesn't stop reminding Javi of the way he cried when they found out he was pregnant, but he doesn't mind.

"Javi" Yuzu calls him from somewhere in the apartment. Javier chuckles and sets his phone down, knowing exactly where to find his husband.

Yuzuru is sitting on his rocking chair in the nursery, which they had started building two weeks before. He has his phone in one hand while he caresses his swollen belly absentmindedly with the other. It's an endearing habit he has developed, just like drumming his fingers softly on it sometimes. Javi melts everytime he sees it. Yuzuru doesn't let anyone touch his stomach, except his doctor and Javi, of course. He turns into an angry, hissy kitten when someone so much as tries. And pregnancy was hard for Yuzu at first, especially when he started showing. Yuzu had always been thin and slender, and now he couldn't even see his feet. That change had been the hardest for him, and for a while, he had convinced himself that Javi would never want him again with the way he looked. Nothing further from reality, really, because there are moments when Javier can barely control himself around his husband. It's a good thing Yuzu's sex drive had gone off the charts during the second trimester.

"Are you listening?" Yuzu's voice brings him back to reality.

"Sorry, _cariño_." Javi bends down to peck his lips and Yuzuru hums contently.

"I said, the crib arrived this morning." Yuzuru tells him and points to a large box leaning against a wall. "I thought we could build it today."

Javier snorts, but nods anyway. By we, Yuzuru means Javi will be building the crib and Yuzuru will be directing him. Just like he had done with everything to do with the nursery. He looked around at the pale yellow walls and smiled. They had decided not to go with stereotypes and chose a soft pastel yellow for the walls instead of blue. The furniture was all white with gray accents and it looked beautiful and peaceful.

"Alright, let me get the tools." Javier tells him as he disappears.

He returns to the room minutes later and they get to work. After two hours, the crib stands on its one, and Javier is proud of himself. It looks great. He is also secretly very thankful that Yuzu had turned into the nerd he really is and had done all kinds of research on twins, he probably knows more about their twins and their development than the doctor does, which is how they found out it was better to keep them together in one crib instead of getting two. Really, building one of these is hard enough.

"It looks great." Yuzu says, munching on a chocolate chip cookie, his latest food obsession. "Just the accents and we're done."

Javi takes the first of a line of stars that go on the front and the wooden stud that holds it. He places the stud in its hole and goes to nail the star on it... promptly slamming the hammer on the two fingers holding the stud.

He drops the damn thing, tears springing from his eyes as Yuzu gasps and struggles to stand. He comes to his side and yanks Javi's hand up to examine it, then speed walks to the kitchen. Javi follows him, cursing every hammer that has ever existed, and finds Yuzuru standing before their fridge, with the freezer opened. He comes closer and sees the rather confused expression on his face.

"We don't have any ice." his husband says, fingers drumming on his belly.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Javier exclaims.

Of all the things... no ice.

The fucking irony.

***

**SKYROCKETING ANXIETY**

_**OCTOBER 19TH, 2023** _

Yuzuru ignores his phone as it rings yet again. He knows the car is wainting for him downstairs and it'll probably charge him a fortune, but he cannot bring himself to leave.

The previous year, he had signed a three-season contract to comment ISU competitions for NHK, and he had been very happy about it.

But the previous year, he didn't have four months old twins sleeping peacefully in their crib, and while NHK had accommodated to his pregnancy, they deemed him ready to go back to work.

He is supposed to be in a flight on his way to Lyon in two hours, but how can he leave? How can he go hundreds of kilometers away and leave his precious twins? They are so little and fragile and they need him and- No. He is not going anywhere, NHK can sue him for all he cares, he cannot-

"Yuzu." Javi's voice comes from the nursery door, soft and quiet. "The driver called again. It's time to go, _mi amor_."

Yuzuru whimpers, bringing a finger to caress his twins' faces. He can't, he really cannot leave them. The rational part of his mind knows they will be perfectly fine, Javi will take care of them. But rationality is the last thing in his mind right now, when all he can think of is walking away from the twins and-

"Breathe, Yuzu." Javi's voice sounds distant and he finally registers the tightness and burning of his chest. An asthma attack. Where the hell is his inhaler? "Here you go, _cariño_."

Javi hands it to him and he brings it to his lips and inhales, holding his breath and letting it work. Had he really triggered an asthma attack because of his anxiety? It hadn't happened in so long, and he cries in earnest when his lungs start functioning again. Javi holds him as he sobs quietly, muffling the sound on his husband's neck.

"I can't, I can't." he gets out between the sobs. Javier shushes him and holds him closer. "I can't leave, I can't leave them, I-"

"Yuzu, relax." Javi says, and it's probably not the best thing to say to a person panicking, but he does anyway. "The twins will be fine, I swear. I won't let them out of my sight. And we'll call you every chance we get."

They stay there for a while longer, until Yuzu is calmer. He extricates himself from Javi's hold and walks to the crib. He carefully picks Dani up and holds him tightly in his arms, kissing his forehead before putting him back on the crib. He does the same with Kai and turns to leave the nursery before he starts panicking again.

Nearly five hours later, he drops his suitcase in his hotel room and starts organizing all his papers, trying to keep the twins out of his mind and failing miserably. He shakes his head, and goes back to concentrating on a specific skater's statistics.

A beeping sound from his laptop startles him, and his eyes widen when he sees it's been nearly four hours. The sun has set long ago and he hadn't even noticed. Turning to his laptop, he smiles and quickly accepts the call. Javi's face pops up on the screen, looking as tired and happy as he has these past four months.

"Hola, _mi vida_." he whispers. "Are you settled?"

"Yes, just reviewing statistics." he says and bites his lip.

Before he can get another word out, Javi leaves, only to return a few seconds later with a baby in each arm. Yuzuru smiles, swallowing the sob that threatens to fall out of his lips. His husband sits and arranges the twins so that Yuzuru can see them properly. They're wide awake and looking at each other.

"Hi, darlings." Yuzuru calls and he smiles softly when the twins turn to the sound of his voice. "What are you doing up so late?"

"We're just being the hungry little monsters we usually are, right boys?" Javi says and Yuzuru chuckles. "Who's that on the screen? Is that _tousan_? Oh no, how did he get there?"

Javi tickles them and they laugh. Yuzuru swears it is the best sound in the world. He cannot take his eyes off the twins. They look adorable in their little onesies. Kaito is wearing a beige one with a brown bear on the front, and Daniel a brown one with a beige bear on it. The babies yawn and Yuzuru coos.

"Oh, someone's very sleepy." he whispers and it ends with a heavy sigh. “You better get them to sleep before they throw a fit.”

“Yeah, I’ll be right back.” Javi says and leaves.

It takes him almost fifteen minutes to return, and Yuzuru can’t help the tears. He tries to wipe them off before his husband comes back, but Javi sees anyway.

“ _Nene_ , don’t cry.” he tells him and Yuzuru nods, furiously wiping the tears that won’t stop coming.

“I’m okay, I promise.” it’s a half truth, Yuzuru knows. And he knows Javi knows, too. “I’ll be fine.”

“We’re okay, _nene_ , really.” Javi repeats. “Why don’t you send me your schedule so we can set up calls for these days?”

It’s the best idea Javi has had in a while, Yuzuru thinks. He gets some funny looks every time he leaves in the middle of a conversation to answer his phone, but he doesn’t care. Then again, few people know about the twins and he intends to keep them to themselves for a while. 

And if he spends three quarters of the weekend cooing at squealing at his phone, nobody says anything.

***

**THE VERY FIRST**

_**JUNE 1ST, 2027** _

Javier curses when a car gets to the only empty spot he has seen so far before he does. Really, it is taking way longer than it should to park, they should be a the store by now. In the backseat, strapped securely to his chair, Dani looks at him, as confused as a four years old can look. He chuckles. He had woken him up early, even though he had no intention of taking him to preschool today. But he wants to spend the day with his birthday boy and give him the present he has prepared.

He praises every deity above when he finally parks the car, and then turns off the engine before exiting the car and getting Dani out of his chair. Taking his hand, he walks with him to the small store, and waits until Dani recognizes where exactly they are before walking in.

“ _Papá_ , why here?” he asks and Javi ruffles his hair.

“Why are we here.” he corrects him. Dani nods, looking up at him with big, wide eyes. “To get you your birthday present.”

Daniel gasps, and makes grabby hands at his papá so he picks him up. Once in his _papá’s_ arms, he hugs him tightly, thanking him enthusiastically. Javier sets him down when the young man behind the counter approaches them.

“Good morning!” he says, his eyes going from the kid to Javier, back and forth.

Javi gets it, really. Very few people know about his kids. Kid. Just the one. He closes his eyes, wincing, and for a moment, he feels physically incapable of breathing. But he quickly composes himself and smiles.

“Hello.” he answers, and gestures for his son to do the same. “We’re looking for his first pair of skates."

“Great!” the young man says and points at a bench so Dani can seat. “I’ll be right back.”

Daniel is bouncing on the bench, babbling on and on about how this is the best birthday ever. Javier can’t help the fond smile on his face. He has tried to keep Dani as far away from skating as possible, but all it took was one visit to the rink to see his _papá_ working, and he was hooked. Javi had taken him to the ring a few more times, and promptly decided he needed lessons if he wanted to continue. Daniel had been all too happy about it, of course.

“Here we are!” the man returns with a couple of boxes, one red and one blue. “Let’s try these first and we can go from there.”

He opens the red box and Javi can’t help the smile on his face at Dani’s awestruck look when he sees the pair of shiny black boots. He chuckles, recalling his own first pair of skates. Back then, his parents hadn’t been able to find black initiation boots, so they had bought white ones for him. Javier wouldn’t have traded them for the world. He looks on as the young man hands Daniel the first boot, and smiles when he struggles to put them on.

“Hard, aren’t they?” Javier chuckles when Dani nods. “Here, let me help.”

He helps him put on both boots and ties them, holding back his laughter whenever Dani makes a face. Once securely tied, Javi takes a step back and motions for the child to stand. He lets the man check the boots.

“Do they fit?” Javi asks his son and the child nods, excited. “We’ll take them, then. Also blades, soakers and hard guards.”

“Sure!” the young man answers and helps the kid take them off. He puts them back on the box and writes something down on a piece of paper. “The guards and soakers are right there, you can choose the ones you like. It’ll take ten to twenty minutes to have the blades mounted on the skates.”

“Oh, that’s fine.” Javi says and heads to the counter to pay. “We’ll take them like that.”

The young man gives him a weird look, but shrugs his shoulders and puts the blades back in their box and hands the bag with all their things to Javier. They make their way to the car, hand in hand, until Dani stops and hugs Javi tightly.

“Thank you, _papá_.” he whispers. “This is the best birthday ever.”

“You’re welcome, buddy.” Javier squats to hug his son and ruffle his hair. “Come on, let’s go home so _Yayo_ can put the blades on. We can go to the rink this afternoon so you can try your skates.”

Daniel starts cheering, jumping up and down with all the energy of a four-year-old. Javier smiles, a fond face as he looks at his son.

“Happy birthday, you two.” he mumbles.

*

Yuzuru opens the door to his son bedroom, poking his head in and smiling softly at the sleeping figure on the bed. Despite the hot temperature outside, Kaito is a little ball underneath all his blankets. He carefully makes his way in and opens the window, letting the sunlight in and chuckling when the child whines.

“Good morning, birthday boy.” Yuzuru says as he comes closer, leaning down to kiss his son’s cheek repeatedly. “Come on, time to get up. Your presents are waiting for you downstairs.”

That seems to do the trick, as Kaito pokes his head completely out of his blanket cocoon. He smiles brightly, and pushes the covers off, dashing downstairs to check his presents. Yuzuru lingers for a minute, his chest tightening when he imagines the room as he had envisioned it at first. Two beds, two closets, two toy boxes. Two of everything.

He walks downstairs, and hears the sound of paper ripping, followed by a gasp and a high pitched squeal. He chuckles when he finds Kaito holding a red box, eyes wide and full of wonder, as he opens it and takes out the shiny, black skates.

“Do you like them?” Yuzuru asks, sitting next to his son. Three seconds later, he has an armful of excited four-year-old boy and he laughs, hugging him back. “That’s a yes.”

“They’re great, _tousan_.” Kaito tells him, face still buried in his neck. “Thank you.”

He hugs his son tighter and kisses the top of his head. Unlike everyone around him thinks, he had not pushed Kaito towards skating. But his son is a curious child, and he had started asking about all the medals decorating his _tousan’s_ room. So Yuzuru had showed him and taken him to the rink with him one day. That was it. Kaito took to the ice like a fish in the water, and he was to start classes in a month.

“Let’s try them on.” Yuzuru tells him.

After a little while, Kaito is wobbling around in his skates, a good head taller than he usually is. Yuzuru watches him strike weird poses, and grimaces every time.

“ _Tousan_.” Kaito calls him. Yuzuru hums, looking at him. “Can we go skating?”

Yuzuru laughs, but nods. Kaito starts jumping up and down, clapping his hands excitedly. Until he loses his balance and falls.

“Kai-kun!” Yuzuru is by his side in a flash. “Are you hurt?”

“Is harder on the ground.” he mumbles, rubbing his side.

Yuzuru can’t help it, he honks a laugh and hugs his son close. A few hours later, he holds his son’s hand as he tries his new skates for the very first time. He lets him go after a few laps and guides him gently, helping him up when he falls. Kaito smiles at him, waving a hand and saying he’s okay, then he turns and continues.

“Just like your father…” Yuzuru mumbles.

He wonders if Javier has taken Dani to the rink, if they are celebrating with his family, if he’s eating cake. A treacherous tear rolls down his cheek and he wipes it before anyone can notice.

“Happy birthday, you two.” he whispers.

***

**TWO KINDS OF FATHERS**

_**JANUARY 15TH, 2030** _

Yuzuru makes yet another mental note to send his mother to a luxury spa or something of the kind. Also to get on his knees and thank her profusely because, is this really what she had to put up with for years? He wasn’t like this, was he?

He watches Kaito line up for yet another jump and holds his breath, exaggeratedly letting out when he lands it just fine. He had just finished his classes when Kai’s group took to the ice, so he obviously stayed behind to watch. He usually didn’t, more than anything because Nanami-sensei would glare at him and shoo him out, but when he heard the kids excitedly talk about jumping today, he threw all caution to the wind and stayed. Rationally, he knows Kaito has been jumping for about a year, but he can’t help the anxiety. That’s his little baby there.

“Well done, Kaito-kun.” Nanami-sensei says and the kid smiles, cheeks a little flushed. “Let’s try your double Salchow now.”

“What?!” Yuzuru shrieks, quickly covering his mouth with his hands after. He physically backs away when Nanami-sensei very calmly skates to where he stands on the other side of the boards. “Sorry, sensei.”

“Hanyu-sensei.” she says and Yuzuru feels more like a fourteen-year-old student than a thirty-five-year old teacher. “If you have nothing of value to add, please remain quiet or leave the rink.”

He bows his head, cheeks flushed an angry shade of red when the kids giggle. He looks up to see his son pouting and rolling his eyes. Where did the attitude come from?

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised, really.” Nanami-sensei tells him, skating back to the group. “He’s just like you, so now you know how your mother felt!”

Yuzuru lets his head drop on the boards, and makes the titanic effort of leaving the rink, going to his office, fishing his phone out of his pocket and calling his father.

“ _Otousan_.” he says when the man answers. “Do you remember the name of that spa _okasan_ wanted to go to?”

*

Javier calls the group to attention, and smiles when his students gather around him. He sighs when he sees Daniel at the back of the group, messing around with another kid.

“Daniel, Raúl.” he calls them and the kids go stiff as rods. “How about you show me how you’re doing with your doubles?”

The kids nod and Javi gestures around the ice. Raúl goes first, landing a pretty decent double toe, if slightly wobbly on the landing. Daniel goes next, and Javier quirks a brow at the way his son looks so cocky. He gapes when he jumps and lands an Axel that could have easily been a double. The kids start murmuring and he tries to quiet them down.

“Alright, back to the class, you two.” he tells them. “No more talking, okay? Pay attention”

Javier goes on with the class, but his mind is somewhere else. Exactly when had Dani learned to jump an Axel like that? And how did he miss it? He is his coach, for crying out loud! When the kid skates by him, he really wants nothing more than to knock his head against the board.

Did he really just get bested by his son?

***

**KAITO: A KID ON A MISSION**

_**MARCH 21st, 2031** _

Kaito skates around the rink, ignoring the people wobbling and flailing around him. He warms up just like _tousan_ had taught him and impatiently waits until the cones are placed in the center of the rink. Once they are, he sets off, focused on one thing and one thing only.

He is a man on a mission. Well, a kid on a mission.

Nanami-sensei had given him the green light to start with triples and there is one he wants to make his own more than any other. He doesn’t really know why he’s so fixated on this particular jump. Other kids in his class had been going on and on about their Axel, and the prospect of starting on the triple soon. Kaito shrugs. The Axel is cool, and he enjoys jumping Axels, but it’s not quite there for him.

Left, back inside edge, free leg to propel himself off and he is flying. One, two, three and… he slams on the ice. Some people around him gasp, but he just stands and shakes himself off.

Jump, fall.

Jump, fall.

Jump, fall.

Kaito loses count of how many times he has tried it now, but he doesn’t feel like giving up. One of the instructors comes to him and asks if he is okay. _Tousan_ would probably scold him for the curt answer and the way he skates away.

“One more time.” he whispers to himself.

He sets up for the jump again and lets out a shuddering breath before he takes off. He rotates and lands. It’s a little shaky and not at all perfect. But he’s done it. Finally.

“YES!” he screams, and bows apologetically when all eyes turn to him.

Kaito skates to the exit, a blinding smile on his face. _Tousan_ should be done with his meeting soon, so he goes to change. He takes off his skates and carefully dries the blades, changing hard guards for soakers and putting them in their bag. There’s a certain skip to his step when he makes his way to the office and a smile that just won’t leave his face, even as he walks home with _tousan_.

“You look very happy, Kai-kun.” Yuzuru says. “Did something good happen?”

“I landed my triple Sal today.” Kaito answers, swinging his and his _tousan’s_ hands.

Yuzuru looks at him, clearly impressed. He knows a few kids in Kaito’s group have been trying triples for a couple of months, but he never expected his son to get the hang of them so fast. He smiles, a little sad and nostalgic, when he remembers Kaito telling him about his Salchow for the first time.

“ _Tousan_?” Kaito asks, head tilted and brows furrowed. “Are you crying?”

“Hmm?” Yuzuru wipes his eyes, cursing under his breath. “I’m okay, Kai-kun. I’m just very, very proud of you.”

Kaito smiles and continues babbling about what he had done that day. Yuzuru grimaces when he hears the many times his son had fallen. He got better at managing his anxiety (Nanami-sensei calls it freaking out) when it comes to Kai trying certain technical skills, which means he keeps the panicking to himself and his office.

Hours later, when Kaito is already sound asleep in his bed, Yuzuru opens his laptop and searches for something he really shouldn’t.

_Javier Fernandez quad Salchow._

And if he spends most of the night on his bed watching his ex-husband’s programs, well. No one needs to know about that.

*

**DANIEL: HIS MOST POWERFUL WEAPON**

_**MARCH 21st, 2031** _

Daniel slams his fist on the ice, again. He has lost count of how many times he had tried and he couldn’t get it right. For some reason, his best ally has abandoned him today. The rest of his classmates had been impressed when he had followed after them with his own skates on and started skating better than he can walk. No, really, he’s better at skating than he is at walking.

Their school had the wonderful idea of bringing them to the rink for a field trip. Not that he is complaining, he’d rather spend time in the rink than running around in circles for PE. He had helped some of his classmates stand on their own, and then he’d taken off to skate. Practicing his skills, like _papá_ wants him to and trying to get his spins right. Once he had reviewed those, he asked the staff for cones so he could jump. The instructor had given him a weird look, but she placed the cones around the center anyway.

He started off small, with singles just to get the hang of it. Then his doubles, in the order he always liked. Salchow, Loop, Toe loop, Flip, Lutz. He repeated the same process with his triples. Well, only the Salchow and the toe, the ones he really knows he can land. He ignored his teacher’s warning of taking it easy, that what he was doing was dangerous. He assured him he’d be careful, with his fingers crossed behind his back, and left the boards to tackle the one jump that was misbehaving today.

The Axel. _His_ Axel.

It is his greatest treasure, his most powerful weapon, his best friend. The Axel is always there for him, whenever he needs it. So he skates around, and lunches forward, rotating two and a half times and slams on the ice. Again.

“Ugh!” he groans, frustrated beyond belief.

“Daniel, I think that’s enough for today.” his PE teacher tells him.

He hates the man with a passion, because he was always telling him figure skating was not a sport he should be practicing, that it was a sport for girls. His father had filed a complaint with the school board and threatened to go public with the discrimination. The principal had gone ashen when he found out exactly who and what his father is.

“Let him.” A voice comes from the stands and Dani looks to find his _papá_ there. Right, he had a meeting today. “He won’t stop until he gets it. So just let him.”

The teacher looks suspicious and Dani mocks him when he can’t see him. Nodding to his _papá_ , Daniel goes back to the quest at hand. He knows he can do it, he has done it before.

“Please, work with me.” he whispers. Yes, he talks to his jumps, sue him.

He flies and lands beautifully, and even he can’t believe it. It’s bigger than usual and he feels like he could squeeze an extra rotation in there if he wanted to. His father smiles proudly from the stands and his teacher gapes at him. Daniel skates past him, to follow as his classmates leave the ice and go to the cafeteria. After lunch and a ton of questions, Daniel goes back home with his _papá_.

“You were great today, buddy.” Javier says after parking the car and hugs his son close. “Your Axel is getting bigger, isn’t it?”

Daniel smiles and hugs his father tighter. They go in the house and Javier sends Daniel to finish his homework. They have planned a long weekend with the whole family and Daniel wouldn’t have time to get it all done otherwise.

When he is sure his son is in his room, Javier softly closes the door to his. He goes to his nightstand and opens the bottom drawer, carefully taking the notebook there. He lets it fall open to a certain page, and a sad smile makes his way to his face when he sees the ripped picture.

“He’s just like you, Yuzu” he whispers and puts the notebook back in the drawer, closing it softly.

If he spends hours watching compilations of Yuzuru’s Axels, well. No one needs to know.

***

**EXTRAVAGANT!/BORING!**

_**DECEMBER 2ND, 2033** _

Javier lets out a grunt as he drops their bags in his living room. Being back home feels slightly strange, after having spend the best part of the year in Sendai. He smiles like a fool, remembering everything that has happened in the last seventeen months.

Yuzuru and he got back together and, miraculously, managed to come up with a schedule that worked for everybody. It was a bit hard with the twins and school and such, but they managed. Dani and Kai were certainly over the moon having their parents with them most of the time, and never failed to remind their parents it had all been thanks to them. Javier shudders when he thinks about their attitudes at ten, he doesn’t want to know what they’ll be like at fifteen.

“You look silly, _papá_.” comes Dani’s voice from the corner.

“You really want a fight, huh?” Javier says, a wicked smile on his face and Dani doesn’t have the time to run away before the assault.

Luckily for Javi, both the twins have inherited Yuzuru’s ticklishness, and he likes to take full advantage of it. He tickles Dani mercilessly, until they’re rolling on the floor and the ten-year-old is begging for mercy. He lets him go and prepares himself for his son tackling him to the floor. The front door opens and Laura walks in, an unimpressed look on her face.

“Alright, kids.” she says, dropping her purse on a stool and hanging a suit bag on the door. “Off the floor, you two. I come bearing gifts.”

Dani leaves Javi on the floor and hugs Laura tightly. She whispers something in his ear and he looks up at her, eyes wide, before taking the suit bag and running to his room. Javi comes to his sister’s side and hugs her, before looking at the hallway.

“What was that you gave him?” Javier asks, going around the counter to the kitchen and starting his fancy espresso machine.

He sets two mugs and waits for it to be done, before adding some milk to Laura’s and sugar to both. He hands the coffee to her and leans on the counter, sipping on his. God, he’s missed his espresso machine. He needs to get one for Yuzu’s house or he’ll blow all his money in Starbucks.

“His costumes.” Laura tells him and Javi splutters.

That’s right. Daniel will be competing at Nationals for the first time. For a minute, he forgot about it. Which is stupid, since that is the reason they came back to Spain this early in December in the first place. Daniel had asked Laura to get him the costumes he wanted and, though Javi was the one paying for them, he had refused to let him see them before he could try them on.

“Ta-dah!” comes his son’s voice and Javi can’t stop the grimace on his face when he sees him.

It’s a mix of black, grey, purple and white, complete with feathers and rhinestones. An ocean of rhinestones. He twirls to show it off and the over-the-top garment sparkles as the lights hit it. Christ, he looks just like-

“Oh, my God, Dani!” Laura squeals. “You look just like Yuzu! But with curly hair!”

Javi grimaces again, and thanks his lucky stars neither Dani nor Kai had decided on the mushroom haircut Yuzuru had when he was their age. The mental image is painful enough. Dani disappears to his room and comes back ten minutes later, with yet another sparkly extravaganza. This one is baby blue and black, with yet another thousand rhinestones. Javi wants to bang his head against the wall.

“What do you think, _papá_?” Dani asks, and Javi gulps. He doesn’t have the heart to wipe Dani’s excited smile off his face.

“Laura’s right.” he says. “You look just like your _tousan_.”

Dani’s smile is more blinding than the rhinestones. Javi tells him to pose so he can take a picture. Then Dani goes to change while Javi prepares dinner and tells Laura all about the time they have spent in Japan. When he is setting the table, his phone rings. He checks it to see a new message from Yuzuru.

**I have a fight to pick up with you, Fernandez.**

Beneath the text is a photo of Kai, wearing black dress pants and a burgundy shirt with a vest. No rhinestones or sequins or anything shiny. Javi lets out a breath of relief and chuckles.

**Right back at you, Hanyu.**

He attaches the photos of DanI in his second costume and scoffs when Yuzuru answers with a bunch of clapping emojis. Javi smiles wickedly, before sending his reply.

**At least one of them got my superb sense of fashion.**

**Excuse you, aluminum foil?**

**Excuse you, boob skirt?**

“Eh… tía Laura.” Dani says confused, not understanding why his _papá_ is smiling stupidly at his phone. “What is _papá_ doing?”

“Don’t worry, _cielo_.” she tells him as they sit down for dinner. “He’s just flirting with your _tousan_.”

“Laura!”

“Ew!”

***

**THE SECOND ONE**

_**MAY 20TH, 2034** _

Yuzuru stares at his reflection in the mirror. The impeccable black hakama he is wearing makes his stomach flip in excitement. He sighs, playing with the fan tucked in the hem when the door opens. He turns to see his mother there, a soft and fond smile on her face.

“It’s time, Yuzuru.” she says and her voice catches a little at the end of it.

“ _Hai_.” is all Yuzuru answers.

He takes one last look in the mirror and leaves, his mother by his side. The weather is great outside, not too hot and with a gentle breeze. There is a smile on his face as he makes his way to the elevator and it doesn’t go away.

“What are you thinking?” Yumi asks.

“Nothing.” Yuzuru smiles and brings his left hand up to face level.

There, sitting beautifully around his ring finger, is a piece of jewelry very similar to one he already owned. The one he still kept in his socks drawer had a central diamond and two blue topaz. This one had a moonstone in the center, flanked by two blue topaz and the band was encrusted with diamonds. Their family’s birthstones: his, Javi’s and, of course, the twins’.

Yuzuru smiles. He has never asked Javi, and he probably never will, but he likes to think he has only ever put this much care and attention to the two engagement rings he has given him. Unlike the lonely and cold solitaire he had given Carmen. The elevator comes to a stop and the door thankfully opens before that train of thought can go any further. He walks out and smiles to his father, who just shakes his head, chuckling. Saya has this smug expression on her face and Yuzuru would want to slap it off, if it weren’t because he knows she’s right. Kaito takes his hand and smiles, and Yuzuru melts.

“Come on, _tousan_.” he says. “ _Papá_ is waiting.”

And he is, at the end of the aisle, looking amazing in a black tux and with Daniel by his side, is Javier. Yuzuru blinks, onslaught of memories flashing through his mind as he walks. He thinks of all the things they have gone through, since they met twenty-three long years ago and until today. He thinks of their friendship that was never enough, of how long it took them to figure out what they really meant to each other, the awkwardness when they first got together. He thinks of their first wedding, of the day they find out about the twins, of the pregnancy. He chuckles when the music starts playing, ' _One Summer’s Day_ ' ringing in the terrace where the ceremony will take place. He had made Javi watch every Studio Ghibli film at least three times when he was pregnant.

When he finally reaches him, he takes the hand he offers and squeezes it. He bends down to kiss Kaito’s forehead, then Daniel’s and the ceremony begins. It’s a blur, he doesn’t really register much of it, except for the key parts.

“Yuzuru,” Javi’s friend Jorge says. “do you take Javier, the master of pizza and the expert tickler as your husband?”

“I do.” Yuzuru says, trying to hold back his laughter and failing miserably.

“Javier,” Jorge turns to the other. “do you take Yuzuru, master of Poohs and professional worrywart as your husband?”

“I do.” Javi also fails to stop his laughter.

The ridiculous votes had been a joke when they were planning the wedding, but then they decided to keep them. It was funny and carefree and very much in tune with their second wedding, the one in which they got to do whatever they wanted.

“By the power vested in me by your monster children,” Jorge goes on and the twins are grinning like madmen. “I pronounce you husband and husband. Keep it PG, your kids are present.”

People around them laugh and Yuzuru sees Javier wink to the twins before he pulls him closer to him and bends him, kissing him square on the lips. He squeals, not having expected the move. Javi helps him up and kisses him again, a chorus of voices exclaiming _“you’re children are here”_. He sneaks a glance at the twins and sees them pulling disgusted faces, so when Javi tries to break the kiss, he kisses him again just to spite them; because they are his kids and he can, thank you very much.

People congratulate them and they take some photos with their families, before moving to the banquet hall. They don’t eat much, going from table to table saying hello to relatives and friends and thanking them for coming. When all the food is gone, the staff take away the tables and the party really begins. People drink and dance, and Yuzuru and Javi can barely keep their hands to themselves.

“I’ll take the twins with me, so you two can have the room for yourselves.” Yumi says. They have the decency to blush to the tips of their ears.

The party dies down and the guests start leaving, Yuzuru feels Javi’s hand on his lower back and a shiver goes through him.

“I can’t wait to get you all to myself, _nene_.” Javi whispers in his ear and Yuzuru smiles.

With the twins, they haven’t had that many chances to be alone, so their sex life was reduced to quick and quiet meetings late at night. The prospect of having the room to themselves tonight, to do whatever they want, has Yuzuru recalling the crazy sex they used to have before. When the last guests are gone, Yuzu doesn’t waste a second to take Javi’s hand and guide him to their room for some much needed alone time.

“Morning!” someone screams, and Yuzuru must have drunk more than he thought last night because he swears he can hear it echo.

“Lemme sleep…” he slurs and snuggles closer to the warm body next to his.

“Nope!” the voice comes again, and the echo too.

Yuzu groans, burying his head in Javi’s chest. It takes him a few more seconds to recognize that no, there is no echo, what he is hearing are in fact two voices, two eerily similar voices.

“OH MY GOD! HOW DID YOU TWO GET IN HERE?” he screeches, kicking Javier off the bed in the process.

The twins scream when they see they’re both naked and run for the door. Yuzuru hides in the room for the rest of the morning, refusing to leave until they have to check out.

“It’s not that bad, _mi amor_.” Javier starts and Yuzuru glares at him.

“You will be the one answering all of their questions.” Yuzuru sentences.

Javier just smiles, taking his hand and kissing. Well, he can’t say no to another chance to embarrass his children and make his husband whine.

***

**HELLO WORLD!**

_**JULY 1ST, 2034** _

Yuzuru unlocks his phone when it rings the hundredth time that morning. He ignores all the other notifications in favor of a message Saya just sent him.

**You might want to check your Instagram**

Yuzuru tilts his head. He’d had an Instagram account for about two years now, completely private. Only his closest friends and family know about it. He does follow a few accounts: Javi, Nam, Brian, Tracy, Jun, Conrad, Evgenia and a few other skaters he was close to. But he rarely posts anything and, when he does, he makes sure to tag the people he really wants to see the photo or video.

So, why is Saya telling him to check Instagram? He has much more pressing things to do, like finishing unpacking all their belongings and setting their new home the way he likes it. They had been in Toronto for about two weeks, and still had a few boxes to go through. Brian had contacted them earlier this year, asking if they would be interested in coaching at the Cricket Club. Yuzu and Javi had discussed everything, from their current jobs to the way the change would affect the twins. In the end, and after months of planning, they accepted Brian’s offer. The club was more than happy to have two of their stars back, as were most of the students there. It also meant they wouldn’t have to split their time between Spain and Japan anymore, and they’d be able to live more normal lives.

“ _Papá_ , how could you?!” one of the twins screams and Yuzu goes to check what is going on.

In the living room he finds Javi on the sofa, curled into a ball and with his arms up as the twins hit him with pillows.

“What is going on?” Yuzu asks, using his tousan voice, and the twins immediately come to his side.

“Did you see what _papá_ uploaded on Instagram?” Dani asks.

“Stop hitting your father and go clean up your rooms.” Yuzu says.

“No, check Instagram first.” Kaito tells him.

Huffing, Yuzuru takes his phone and opens the app. Javier is one of the few people he follows, so it doesn’t take him long to find the post. He gapes, face getting a little more red with each photo he sees. They had agreed on Javi using social media to tell the world about their family, but this…

The first photo shows Yuzuru asleep on their bed, hair a mess, drooling on the pillow and with his left eye half-opened. He’s also wearing one of Javi’s old _‘ESPAÑA’_ jackets. He remembers this morning, the first one in their new house. The twins were still in Spain with Javi’s parents and Javi had insisted on christening the house. Yuzuru had been left a twitchy mess afterwards, and barely able to move. So he opened the first box he found labeled _‘clothes’_ and put on the first thing he picked, Javi’s jacket.

The second one is of the twins, their curls going everywhere and half asleep as they eat their breakfast. They had signed them up for the TCC summer camp and, between the jetlag and the early mornings, the twins were tired. Hence, practically falling asleep on top of their cereal.

After that, it is a bunch of photos that tell their story: their first wedding, the twins’ first ultrasound, a heavily pregnant Yuzuru sitting on his rocking chair, the twins when they were born, DanI and Javi the first time the toddler went skating, the first time Yuzuru took Kaito to the rink, that time they skated together at Ice Rink Sendai when Javi and Yuzu made up, the twins’ first National competitions, their second wedding and last, a picture with all four of them they took a few days ago when they had finished painting Yuzu’s office in the house.

Yuzuru is sure his face will explode and he wants to murder his husband when he reads the caption.

**javierfernadezcoach** _Hello, world! Allow me to introduce you to the Fernandez-Hanyu family. The first photo is of my lovely husband, Yuzuru. Isn’t he gorgeous? I love you, nene! And allow me to introduce you our wonderful little monsters! The one with the yellow pajamas is Kaito, he’s older by 7 minutes. And with the blue, Daniel! The baby of the family! Love you, boys! For those of you wondering, here’s a short version: Yuzu and I got together, got married, had our little monsters, divorced, the twins were reunited, Yuzu and I got back together, remarried and are now back where it all started, ready to start our new lives in Toronto! I hope you love my family, just like I do!_

“You have ten seconds to explain, Fernandez.” Yuzuru says, voice low and glaring daggers at Javi.

“ _Amor_ …” Javi starts, getting off the sofa and going to the kitchen. “See, I thought it would be funny.”

“Funny my ass!” Yuzuru screams and then remembers the twins can still hear them. “I hope you like the sofa you bought.”

Javier spends three days groveling for mercy and forgiveness, and three nights sleeping on the sofa.

***

**AGAINST EACH OTHER, BUT ALWAYS TOGETHER**

_**SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2037** _

Kaito takes a deep breath before walking through the curtains. He knows papá is behind him and he isn’t really looking forward to the fascination that seems to follow his parents everywhere they go.

_Stop, Kai. Focus. You’ve got this._

At age fourteen, this is his last junior season and he intends to win everything he can. Or rather, everything Dani doesn’t beat him for. _Tousan_ would say it is rude, but the only skater Kaito considers a rival is his little brother.

“Kai.” Javier calls him from behind and he turns to look at him. “Warm-up is about to start.”

Kai nods and gets in line behind the other skaters. He bends to touch the floor and comes back up, shaking off a little of the tension. Javier pats his shoulder and takes his blades. He steps on the ice and inhales deeply, letting the air out slowly as he skates around the rink. It’s cold, colder than he is used to, but that’s fine. The announcer starts introducing the skaters one by one, and he closes his eyes before his name resounds in the building.

“Kaito Hanyu.” the woman says. “Japan.”

He greets the small crowd present and continues warming up. He can feel the curious gazes of the boys he has never met before. It’s his last name, really, that’s all they are interested in. Sometimes it makes him a little angry, but he always calms when he remembers his _papá’s_ words.

_Just because you carry the name Hanyu doesn’t mean you have to prove anything to anyone. Yuzuru had his moment. Now it’s your turn._

Those words have carried him through many competitions, where people would approach him for his parents alone. He tries a couple of doubles and goes to the boards, where Javier is.

“That’s good, Kai.” Javi says while he sips some water. “Just make sure you get your edges right.”

“Yeah, the flip, I know.” he nods and hands the bottle to his _papá_ , pushing off the boards and rejoining the warm-up.

He goes through some parts of his step sequence that still bug him, and tries his flip twice more before the announcer gives the one minute warning. He skates around, bouncing and checking himself, before he goes for the Axel. It’s good enough, though his landing still needs work.

“This concludes your six-minute warm up.” the announcer calls “Please leave the ice.”

Kaito leaves and looks at the kid who will be skating first. He is a new addition to the American team and rumor has it he has at least two quads. He shudders, takes the guards his _papá_ offers and follows to the back. He doesn’t need to see this, nor does he want to.

One by one, the other skaters do their programs, while Kaito just waits with his trusty noise-cancelling headphones in place. He has his eyes closed, letting his mind go blank and focusing only on the music. Someone yanks his headphones off and he looks to find his _papá_ there, with an encouraging smile on his face.

“It’s almost your turn, buddy.” Javier says, holding out a hand and taking his phone. “Come on.”

He waits on the side until the skater on the ice is done, bouncing. It’s a habit he developed when he first started taking lessons, when he couldn’t wait to get on the ice. When the other boy is out and heading to the kiss & cry, Kai removes his guards and his jacket, handing to Javier. He steps on the ice and turns to face his _papá_ and coach.

“You’ve got this, Kai.” Javier tells him. “Just skate the program like you know and you’ll be great.”

Kai nods and bumps fists with Javier before skating to the center. They announce him and he takes his starting pose. Breathing in deeply and letting it out, his mind is blank as _‘Battle Without Honor or Humanity’_ starts. For two minutes and forty seconds, nothing exists but the ice, the music and his program.

He starts with his worst jump, the triple flip, because he likes to get it out of the way. Combination spin. Second jumping pass, quad toe/double toe combination. He’s halfway there. Fourth jump, triple Axel; a little wobbly but rotated. Step sequence, he swears he will kill his choreographer, _tousan_ is so dead. Last jump, his trusty friend, his first quad, the Salchow. Beautiful, almost perfect. Spread eagle and spins. Almost there. Bam!

When the last note rings through the arena, he knows he’s done it. He greets the judges and the audience and skates towards the exit, holding the urge to roll his eyes at the few Pooh toys he sees.

Javi is there to greet him and hug him close. He puts on his guards and his jacket and goes to the sofa on the kiss & cry. He sits and drinks some water, waving to the camera and smiling. Yeah, he feels good about today.

“You did amazing, Kai.” Javier tells him, an arm around his shoulder.

“The Axel could’ve been better.” Kai says, a little bit out of breath.

“Yeah, yeah.” Javi mocks him. “Dani took the Axel powers or whatever.”

“ _Papá_ …” he face palms and is suddenly very glad there are no microphones around them when his voice cracks. Don’t you just love puberty?

“The quads were great.” Javier encourages him, pulling him closer. “Especially the Sal.”

“I am _your_ son, remember?” Kai deadpans and Javi’s laugh is cut short by the scores.

As expected, he will go into the free in first place, with a good seven-point margin.

“Great job, buddy.” Javi hugs him when there are no prying eyes around. “Keep it like that for the free and it’ll be a piece of cake.”

And it is. Kaito smiles brightly when he finishes his free. _Tousan_ had been skeptical about his choice in music, and mad that he had watched both Kill Bill films. But it turned out better than he thought, and his _‘Malagueña’_ received the highest score, giving him the gold and taking him one step closer to the final.

“I’m very proud of you, Kai.” Javier tells him, hugging him tightly and smiling at the gold medal around his neck. “Let’s go home, yeah?”

Kai nods, following after his _papá_. He is very lucky to have him as his coach. He also got extremely lucky with his assignments. He grimaces when he thinks of the media madness Dani and _tousan_ will have to face at Dani’s first assignment. He shudders and shakes his head. Budapest was great, time to go home and train for his second assignment.

*

_**SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2037** _

Dani sighs when he closes the door to his room. Finally, peace and quiet. He knew it would be wild, he didn’t expect the hundreds of cameras when they arrived at the airport. Or the way _tousan_ just walked through without even blinking. How does he do it?

“Dani?” _tousan’s_ voice can be heard through the door.

He opens it and sees _tousan_ has already changed to sweatpants and a t-shirt. He moves aside and lets him in. Yuzu looks around the room and nods approvingly when he sees Dani has already prepared everything for the next day.

“Don’t go to bed too late, alright?” Yuzuru says, kissing his temple. “We have to be up early tomorrow.”

“I’m going to shower and then go to bed.” Dani says and waves Yuzuru goodbye.

The door closes and he sighs. He’s used to the madness that still follows _tousan_ around. Every competition he has been to, accompanied by him, there’s always been more cameras than normal. But that’s alright, something he just accepts because hey, not everyone has a legendary figure skater for a father. Let alone two.

The next day proves just as chaotic. There’s press everywhere, and everyone wants to shake hands with _tousan_. Yeah, this assignment is cursed. Usually, he loves skating in Japan. But competing in Sendai with tousan as his coach is testing his patience. _Tousan’s_ too, if the tight set of his jaw is anything to go by.

“Please.” Yuzuru finally snaps. “I’m here as a coach and my skater has to compete today.”

Everyone backs away and Dani breathes. Much better. He goes through the motions on autopilot, like he always does. By the time it is his turn to skate, _tousan_ holds out an arm. Dani breathes deeply, taking off his red _‘ESPAÑA’_ jacket and handing to him, along with his guards. His burgundy costume shines with the myriad of rhinestones attached as he skates around the rink. Kai always tells him everyone would be able to see him even without lights on, Dani always punches his arm.

“Representing Spain,” the announcer says. Dani breathes. “Daniel Fernandez”

The music from _‘Red Sparrow’_ starts and Dani pushes everything and everyone out of his mind. First jump, triple Lutz. Good enough. Steps, spin. Second jump, quad toe. Not perfect, but he holds onto it. He‘ll have to fix it before Ljubljana. Next jump, the combination: quad Salchow, double toe. The landing is a bit off, but he rotates both jumps. The Salchow is really not his jump. Step sequence, sure and smooth. _Tousan_ will be proud. Last jump. Both _tousan_ and _papá_ had told him he was crazy for leaving it for last, but this is _his_ jump. His most trusted element. And it doesn’t fail him. The triple Axel is beautiful, big and perfectly landed. Combination spin. He’s almost there, last rotation. Arms in second. Done!

The crowd cheers and Dani smiles, bowing to the judges and to the fans before skating out. He quirks a brow at the number of Poohs flying. Really, that’s _tousan’s_ thing. Yuzuru is waiting for him, arms wide open and he falls into them like he always does. He takes his jacket and puts it on, then his guards and they head for the kiss & cry.

“You were amazing!” Yuzuru exclaims, handing him a bottle of water.

They turn when a photographer calls them and smile for the camera. Dani gulps half the bottle in one go as tousan chuckles.

“Yeah, well, the Sal.” he says. “As always.”

“Kai inherited all of your _papá’s_ Salchow powers.” Yuzuru says, huffing. “You got my Axel powers.”

“Good.” Dani sentences. “I want to jump the quad Axel before the Olympics.”

Yuzuru chokes on his water, coughing as they announce the scores. Dani cannot stop laughing. He will pay for this one once they’re back home, but so worth it. For now, he’ll enjoy his small gold medal.

The day of the free, people move out of Yuzuru’s way. Something has him angry and they do not want to be on the receiving end of his wrath. Walking behind him, Daniel does his best not to laugh. Really, _tousan_ is such a drama queen. All he did was chose his own music for the free. He likes _'Rocketman'_ , so he doesn’t see where the problem is. Actually, he does know, but this is so much fun to watch.

“At least you don’t look like a faulty screen or scrambled eggs.” Yuzuru grumbles when he takes the jacket off.

He says something else under his breath, but Dani isn’t paying attention anymore. He turns to the boards and takes his _tousan’s_ hand, squeezing it. He gestures to his head, then his heart and he’s off. He has a competition to win.

The crowd cheers loudly as he bows, smile big and blinding. He skates to the exit and hugs _tousan_ tight. When the scores come, Dani throws both arms up in the air.

At the end of the day, Yuzuru seems to have been pacified by the gold around his son’s neck.

*

_**DECEMBER 12TH, 2037** _

Kaito and Daniel are by the boards, with four skaters between them. It’s the day of the free and they cannot afford any mistakes today.

After winning their second assignments, Ostrava for Kai and Ljubljana for Dani, they are in first and second place going into the free at the Junior Grand Prix Final. It is taking place in Madrid this year, something _papá_ was very excited for. Thankfully, things weren’t as crazy as they were in Sendai.

“Kaito.” Javier calls him. “When the warm up is done, I need to talk to you and your brother.”

Kaito tilts his head, but nods. Javier gestures vaguely to the ice and he’s off. He goes through some key points in his program, his eyes drifting to Dani still talking to _tousan_.

“Your father and I will talk to you two before you compete.” Yuzuru tells him, a smile on his face, but voice serious. “Now, go.”

Daniel nods and does the same as his twin. If it weren’t for the different colors of their jackets, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. The announcer gives the one minute warning, and the six skaters look frantic to get the last bits in. Kai and Dani meet at the exit when the warm-up is over, and Kai lets Dani go first.

“Did _tousan_ talk to you?” Kaito asks, switching to Spanish to make sure none of the skaters understand.

“No, he said they need to talk to us.” Dani answers.

Sure enough, Javier and Yuzuru are waiting for them in a corner. They walk to them and stop just a step short, tilting their heads.

“Alright, boys.” Javier starts. “This is it. Your first Grand Prix Final.”

“Your father and I want you to know how proud we are of you.” Yuzuru says, smiling softly. “No matter what happens, we are incredibly proud of you.”

“And no matter what happens, I want you to remember this.” Javier adds, face suddenly serious. “You two are brothers, identical twins. Literally each other’s half. No matter what happens, I want you to promise you won’t let the competition get in between you.”

The twins blink once, twice before they burst out laughing. Javi and Yuzu look at them dumbfounded.

“You don’t have to worry, _papá_.” Kaito says, putting an arm around Dani’s shoulders. “We’ll be cool when I beat him.”

“Excuse you?” Daniel says, scoffing at his brother’s words. “Who said anything about you winning?”

“I did.” Kai answers, smirking. “I’m the oldest, after all.”

“By seven whole minutes!” Daniel screams. Kaito bursts out laughing. “You’re on, _nii-chan_.”

“You’ll regret that, _enano_.” Kaito says shrugging.

“It’s my Axel against your Salchow.” Daniel crosses his arms across his chest.

“You’re on.” Kaito imitates the gesture.

They walk out, still bickering, and leaving behind Javier and Yuzuru, gaping. They look at each other for a few seconds and smile. Holding hands, they walk through the curtain into the rink like the power couple they are. The free program is about to start.

With the lights dimmed, Kaito smiles brightly as the Japanese anthem rings in the arena. Standing on the second step of the podium, Daniel is also smiling. When they’re taking their victory lap, Kaito slows down to stay by Dani’s side.

“Told you.” He says and skates away. Dani wants to kick him in the head.

Later that night, when they’re all back at the hotel, Kai knocks on Dani’s door. The younger of the twins opens and it is clear he has been crying. Kaito smiles and closes the door behind him. Daniel doesn’t say anything, just goes back to the bed, getting under the covers and leaving enough space for Kai to get in as well. When he feels his brother’s arms around him, Dani breaks down crying again. Kaito doesn’t say anything, just holds him.

“I’m sorry.” is the first thing Dani says when he calms down. “I’m happy for you, _nii-chan_ , really. But-”

“Stop it, _enano_.” Kaito says, tickling him a little. “I know.”

_Of course you do_ , Dani thinks. No one knows him better than Kai, and no one knows Kai better than he does. They stay like that, sleep slowly creeping on them until it takes over their tired bodies.

The next morning, Javier and Yuzuru are half panicking when they go to check on Kaito and he’s not in his room. But all the worry washes away when they find the twins sleeping on Dani’s bed, like they used to when they were younger. Yuzuru is quietly cooing and hitting Javi’s arm. Javi doesn’t waste another second to take out his phone and snap a photo of them and yeah, that’s going to be his lock screen.

“Rise and shine, sleepyheads!” Javier screams, startling the twins out of sleep. They look around frantic and groan when they find their parents there. “Come on, time for breakfast. And then to the gala.”

They go through their morning routines half asleep, and they can’t really be bothered with anything or anyone when they go down to the hall for breakfast. They eat slowly, still trying to wake up. Neither of them says a word, until they’re getting on the bus. Dani stops Kai and hugs him tight.

“Thank you, _nii-chan_.” he whispers and he can feel Kai smiling. They let go and smile at each other. “I’ll still beat you at Worlds, though!”

Dani walks away and Kai scoffs. As if.

*

Three months later, the Spanish flag rises higher than any other, with the anthem playing in the arena. Dani holds his gold medal while he listens to his anthem, smiling brightly. After the victory ceremony is over, he sits between that kid John and his brother at the press conference, answering questions as they come.

“You’ve said your favorite jump is the Axel,” a reporter says. “and I have to agree, it’s beautiful. Do you think there is a jump quite like yours?”

Daniel smiles, looking at his brother.

“Kai’s Salchow.” he answers, no hesitation.

The reporters chuckle and coo at them. Kaito beams at him. John looks like utterly confused. In the background, a squeal is heard.

“Those are my babies!” Yuzuru screams.

Daniel and Kaito let their heads drop on the table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liked it? Hated it? Lemme know what you think in the comments, which are always super appreciated and loved!!
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking with me through this journey, and I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Some fun facts!
> 
> +Kai and Dani are monozygotic (identical) monochorionic-diamniotic twins, which means they come from the same zygote and share the same placenta, but have different amniotic sacs. (Don't ask how much research I did)
> 
> +Javi was the one to choose Kai's name, and Yuzu chose Dani's.
> 
> +Kaito (written like this 海翔) means something like 'rising ocean', where 海 means 'sea, ocean' and 翔 means 'soar, rise, fly'
> 
> +Daniel means 'God's justice' (according to Saint Google)
> 
> +In case it wasn't very clear in the fic, Kaito competes for Japan and Daniel for Spain.
> 
> +The twins train with both their parents, but prefer it when Javi goes with Kai to competitions and Yuzu accompanies Dani.

**Author's Note:**

> Liked it? Hated it? Let me know what you think in the comments!! <3


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